Ontario invests $865K in private woodlot management, forest biomass
Private woodlot owners across Leeds and Grenville could gain new opportunities to generate revenue from underused wood through an $865,000 provincial investment announced Thursday.
MPP Steve Clark was joined by Associate Minister of Forestry and Forest Products Kevin Holland at Limerick Forest in North Grenville on Thursday to announce the investment from the provincial government in the Ontario Woodlot Association (OWA).
The funding is intended to enhance the management of private woodlots for commercial use, particularly by establishing new supply chains for “forest biomass,” a term for underutilized or discarded by-products from mills.
The provincial government says that $790,000 of the investment, which is coming from its Forest Biomass Program, the OWA will be able to create new jobs, acquire new equipment for its Wood Stewardship Program (WSP) and create new revenue streams for woodlots by connecting private businesses with forest biomass, while encouraging “active stewardship” of forest ecosystems.
Natural forests cover roughly 140,000 hectares in Leeds and Grenville, representing approximately 40 per cent of the land area across the United Counties. About 80 per cent of those forests are privately owned woodlots.
According to the provincial government, the WSP will use up to 100,000 cubic metres of forest biomass over five years, creating new markets and leading to the diversification of the region’s forestry sector into value-added manufacturing, “including bioproducts such as biochar, compost and mulch.”
The WSP will also establish three regional networks to build partnerships among landowners, forestry services and forest sector businesses. The project builds on the OWA’s Community Forest Owners Cooperative Pilot, which was supported by a $91,000 Forest Biomass Program investment in 2023.
Another $75,000 is going toward supporting OWA activities such as workshops, conferences, publications and collaboration to promote sustainable forest management on private woodlots.
Rob Ross, the owner of Limerick Forest, welcomed the investment into the forestry sector’s growth in the region.
“There are a lot of underutilized plantations and woodlots on private land in our area that will benefit from this investment,” said Ross.
“The Ontario Woodlot Association has been a valuable and reliable partner and we are pleased to see they will be implementing the Woodlot Stewardship Program. Increased market access for underused wood will allow for more sustainable forest management that will be beneficial to everyone.”
Mayor of North Grenville Nancy Peckford also welcomed the investment into the region’s forestry sector, citing the “proud tradition” of landowners, organizations and businesses stewarding the area’s forests.
“This investment in the Ontario Woodlot Association will help strengthen that work by creating new opportunities for private woodlot owners, supporting innovation in the forest bioeconomy and making better use of a valuable renewable resource,” said Peckford.
“We are especially pleased to see this investment supporting an organization with such strong roots and partnerships here in Eastern Ontario.”