Hardwood Timber
Potential
Aspen research in Northern B.C.
T
he Northern Rockies Regional Municipality – centred in Fort Nelson, B.C. – is a traditional logging heartland with an untapped resource of millions of metres of harvestable hardwood. With the forest
industry becoming dormant due to the closure of a Polar Board OSB and Tackama Plywood mills in 2008, the Municipality decided to take the opportunity to confirm what it believed regarding its aspen resource. Partnering with Forest Products Innovations and local small-scale sawmills, the research more than confirmed that the quality and potential of the timber supply are incredible. This research has subsequently been reviewed and assessed by Forest Economic Advisors (FEA), a world-leading advisor on forest product markets and economics to further establish the opportunity that lies in the resource. With approximately 122 million cubic metres of harvestable northern hardwoods in the region, most of it within hours of Fort Nelson, B.C., the elements are in place for a forestry business cluster opportunity in the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality. Approximately 86 per cent of the resource
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Resource Connector North 2021