Ministry of Natural Resources' Staged Competition for Crown Wood Supply in Ontario

STAGE ONE - REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST

The Province of Ontario, through the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), is implementing a staged competition to make available unused Crown forest resources. The purpose of this competition is to support new investment by offering wood supply security, and to create green jobs in Ontario's value-added forest products and emerging bioeconomy. This project is a major step forward in revitalizing the struggling forest industry.

Within Ontario's managed forests, there is a wood supply that can be sustainably harvested but traditionally has not been used. New investment and jobs can be created in northern and Aboriginal communities through this project, which will help Ontario's efforts to build a healthier, more diversified forest sector. The result will be improved use of low quality stands and trees, and improved forest renewal and cost efficiency for Sustainable Forest Licence holders. The use of biofibre for new wood products and new jobs may also reduce the costs and impacts associated with traditionally burning these logging residues to prepare forest areas for renewal activities.

Ontario's forests are managed sustainably. The centrepiece of Ontario's forest management system is the Crown Forest Sustainability Act and the ministry's rigorous legislative and policy framework. Two key objectives of sustainable forest management are conserving biodiversity and ensuring our forests provide benefits to future generations. Any biofibre harvesting will comply with current forest management guidelines and silvicultural practices and standards.

Using forest biofibre for energy can reduce Ontario's carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions. A recent University of Toronto study suggests that lifecycle emissions associated with the use of wood pellets to produce electricity, vs. coal and natural gas, significantly reduces green house gas emissions.

Ontario Power Generation (OPG) is testing agricultural by-products and wood pellets at its coal-fired generating stations to determine if it is possible to use biomass as an alternative fuel.  They are investigating supply and transportation, on-site storage and handling, and combustion process aspects of biomass. You can learn more about OPG’s biomass program at http://www.opg.com.