Northern Ontario Construction News staff writer
The Ontario government is providing more than $2.1 million to support forest sector projects, including investments aimed at increasing lumber production and developing new uses for mill by-products and other underused wood.
Associate Minister of Forestry and Forest Products Kevin Holland announced the funding at Ben Hokum and Son Limited, which will receive more than $1.9 million to install two biomass-assisted steam kilns.
New kilns are expected to triple the company’s lumber-drying capacity and improve the efficiency of its sawmill operations.
“Our government is helping forest sector businesses build international reach and bring competitive products to market,” Holland said.
Funding is being provided through the province’s Forest Sector Investment and Innovation Program. The Ontario government said the project is expected to increase the company’s export sales by more than 30 per cent while supporting 115 direct jobs and more than 100 indirect jobs.
It will allow the company to increase the amount of lumber it produces for export markets.
“These projects will allow us to increase the amount of export-ready lumber we produce, continue expanding our international markets and make better use of our forest resources,” said company president Dean Felhaber.
The government is also providing $250,000 through its Forest Biomass Program to three projects involving the potential use of forest biomass.
Ben Hokum and Son will receive $100,000 to plan a biomass-powered facility that would generate electricity and thermal energy. The proposed project would also examine the use of carbon capture and storage technology, which the company said could result in net-negative emissions.
TorchLight Bioresources will receive $87,500 to complete a feasibility study for a proposed combined heat and power plant in Petawawa. The company said the facility would examine replacing natural gas with energy generated from forest biomass.
Carboform will receive $62,500 to further develop technology that uses forest biomass residues to produce coatings and inks.
According to the Ontario government, the three projects have the long-term potential to use more than 350,000 tonnes of forest biomass each year.
Ben Hokum and Son was established in 1956 and produces more than 40 million board feet of white and red pine lumber annually. The latest funding for its proposed biomass facility follows a previous $119,735 investment through the Forest Biomass Program to investigate the potential use of local biomass as an energy source.
TorchLight Bioresources previously received $100,000 from the Ontario government for a biomass plant feasibility study at the Northcrest Downsview Airport Lands.
Jamie Stephen, managing director of TorchLight Bioresources Inc., said the company is working to develop bioenergy projects that could use low-grade wood as a fuel source.
“Forests are Ontario’s most valuable publicly owned asset,” Stephen said. “TorchLight is working diligently to advance low-risk bioenergy projects to serve as essential demand centres for low-grade wood, thereby supporting sustainable forest management of Ontario’s Crown forests.”
Ontario has more than 50 district heating systems that could potentially be converted from natural gas to combined heat and power plants using wood-based fuels.
Carboform conducts research and development operations at the SpinUp incubator at the University of Toronto’s Mississauga campus.
“This investment will allow Carboform to accelerate the development and testing of new ingredients made from Ontario wood residues for use in paints and coatings,” said Sneha Shanbhag, co-founder and CEO of Carboform, adding the company is working with forest-products companies and coatings manufacturers to develop additional uses for forest biomass.
The funding is part of the Ontario government’s forest sector programs, which support investments in forestry-related manufacturing, innovation and the development of new uses for forest biomass.