Forestry

For Dan Warren, the former Proboard plant in Atikokan is more than just a new business venture. It is a chance to come home again. Warren’s company Fibratech Manufacturing Inc.

Kenora Forest Products is one of several wood products manufacturers agonizing over how to marry the operation with a value-added component.

A study conducted early last year showed extended rail service in Timmins was feasible, but given the current economic conditions for the forest industry, it is too expensive.

Timiskaming’s increased emphasis on value-added wood products may be producing results, if recent interest in the region by home and office furnishing company Ikea is any indication.

Arvo Tyrvainen has a simple philosophy, and seeks an answer to a seemingly simple question.

Historically, Atikokan has experienced economic strife before and survived, so surely the community will only gain in strength as it faces hundreds of layoffs in its main industry, a development official says.

Rather than wait for the axe to drop, the Town of Espanola has surveyed the northern landscape to gain a greater understanding of what becomes of one-industry towns that have grown too reliant on a major company to be the town’s major breadwinner.

Muskoka; the name itself speaks of vacation paradise. Its countryside is filled with trees and lakes a mere two hours away from Toronto.

The clock is ticking and opportunities for Ontario’s wood industry to produce new products for a world market hungry for engineered wood are in danger of slipping away, says a new report commissioned by Ontario’s Living Legacy Trust (OLLT).

Domtar Inc. and Gogama Forest Products Ltd. have formed a 50-50 joint venture to develop a fully integrated sawmill, kiln and planer operation in Northern Ontario. Gogama Forest Products, a wholly-owned subsidiary of William Day Holdings Ltd.