Industry News News Harvesting Remanufacturing Wood Panels
Deadwood Innovations, Tolko using IFIT funding to advance value-added projects

Two forestry projects in B.C. are looking to advance value-added manufacturing in the province thanks to funding from Natural Resources Canada’s Investments in Forest Industry Transformation (IFIT) program.

Deadwood Innovations and the Nak’azdli Development Corporation (NDC) have received $1.14 million to build a pilot-scale facility that will use an innovative process to manufacture value-added engineered wood products from underutilized dead and damaged wood fibre. The pilot plant at the Tl’oh Forest Products mill in Fort St. James, B.C., has also received funding through B.C.’s Indigenous Forest Bioeconomy Program.

“The IFIT program has provided our partnership with essential contributions to design, build and develop our wood modification technology from concept to pilot. The funding closed a gap for our forest technology startup and helped position us to prepare for commercialization due diligence,” Deadwood Innovations president Owen Miller said in a news release. “Deadwood and Nak’azdli Whut’en are on the precipice of driving sustainable, valuable change in forestry; we are sincerely grateful for the support of the knowledgeable IFIT team.”

Tolko Industries is using $4.25 million in funding to expand and diversify its production beyond commodity plywood products to include specialty, industrial and engineered wood products.

“Tolko is grateful to receive funding from the IFIT program as we continue to develop innovative new products for our customers. This investment by the Government of Canada demonstrates its commitment to the future of Canada’s forest industry, and it will allow Tolko to continue to meet market demands for sustainably produced forest products while maintaining jobs in B.C.,” said Tolko president and CEO Brad Thorlakson.