Ontario launches wood supply competition

Ontario is searching for innovative ways to use logs, branches and other wood in Crown forests for manufacturing or other commercial purposes. This will help create green jobs and new investment in the forest industry.

Proposals are currently being accepted for the use of about 11 million cubic metres of wood. The wood will come from 41 forest management units in Ontario - the majority in Northern Ontario. Part of the wood supply in this competitive process will come from harvest residues - tree tops and irregular limbs – that can be used to support Ontario’s emerging bioeconomy sector, such as to produce wood pellets for energy.

This competitive process is open to anyone – including existing and new forest companies – interested in using Crown wood supply and investing in Ontario.

Proposals will be evaluated on a number of criteria, including fostering effective, cooperative relationships between industry and Aboriginal communities.

Information sessions are scheduled for Kenora, Thunder Bay, Pembroke, Timmins and Sault Ste Marie in the coming weeks.

For more information on the Provincial Wood Supply Competitive Process and how to submit a proposal, visit htt://ontario.ca/crownwood.

Proposals must be submitted by March 4, 2010.