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FPInnovations applauds major investments in Quebec forest sector

Stéphane Renou, President and CEO of FPInnovations, applauds the 2019-2020 provincial budget of François Legault’s government, a budget which identifies the forest sector as a key player in the fight against climate change. In this regard, the provincial government announced the enhancement of various programs, thereby recognizing the great potential of the forest sector to actively promote Quebec’s economic development, while helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

These measures include boosting the current 2013-2020 Action Plan on Climate Change by investing $80 million, making it possible for the forest sector to accelerate its contribution to the fight against climate change, strengthening the Wood Innovation Program by injecting $50-million to support innovation and major projects to link forestry companies with other sectors of activity, as well as bolstering the Residual Forest Biomass Program by $30-million.

As for FPInnovations, it is receiving $5 million over three years to develop, in partnership with university partners, a concrete greenhouse gas impact assessment tool (BioGES) for forest-based projects, innovations or products, including products with a longer lifespan such as those used in construction.

“The potential for the forest sector to contribute to climate change mitigation strategies is immense,” said Renou. “The forest and the products derived from it contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions as the production of these products increases! FPInnovations is actively working to transform the forest industry through the development of products and future intervention strategies with other economic sectors.”

FPInnovations is actively working on a number of R&D projects aimed at transforming the forest industry, for example:

• Increased use of sustainable wood products in structures and building materials, for a total value of $900 million by 2023
• Development of wood-fibre-based bioplastics, which will represent five per cent of the bioplastics used in North America by 2022, with a market value of $700 million
• Development of wood fibre-based biofuels, which will provide alternatives to the Canadian energy market, for a total value of $2.5 billion
• Increased market penetration of wood-fibre packaging in North America, with an estimated value of $600 million by 2025
• Integration of megadata and high technology into Canadian forest operations to create a safer and more productive workplace along the value chain. By 2025, this process will add value and generate savings of nearly $1 billion per year
• Improvements to the efficiency of manufacturing processes in order to increase the fibre recovery rate by 30 per cent and reduce by-product manufacturing by 20 per cent between now and 2023
• Introduction of new wood fibre-based biomaterials and biocomposites for use in everyday products