The Government of Canada announced Tuesday $5-million in new funding for Natural Resources Canada’s Great Lakes Forestry Centre in Sault Ste. Marie, ON.
The funding will be used for energy-efficiency and infrastructure upgrades to the Centre, which conducts research on sustainable forest management, biological control of forest pests and diseases, forest productivity and forest fire research. For example, the Centre is working to combat the highly destructive emerald ash borer and other harmful pests that threaten the forestry industry.
The money is part of the $380 million of funding injected into federal laboratories and research facilities for major repairs and upgrades that will improve the ability to perform leading-edge research, said Ontario MP Bryan Hayes.
Operating profits for Canada’s forest sector reached $2.7-billion in 2013, and the sector contributed $20.9-billion to Canada’s nominal GDP. The sector also employs over 216,000 workers across the country, including 43,000 in Ontario.