Kenora declaration on innovation welcomed by forest sector

News provided by

Forest Products Association of Canada

Jul 09, 2015, 12:00 ET

OTTAWA, July 9, 2015 /CNW/ -The Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) is pleased with the principles and spirit behind the Kenora Declaration on Forest Innovation that was issued today at the 2015 National Forest Sector Innovation Summit.

The Declaration collectively commits to the advancement of innovation in the forest sector by collaborating on investments to commercialize innovations with a focus on environmental excellence; engaging prospective partners in non-traditional industries and the academic field and mobilizing the best talent and technologies to address the future needs of the forest sector.

"Innovation is vital to ensure the prosperity of the modern forest products industry," says the President and CEO of FPAC, David Lindsay. "Our sector has revitalized through transformation. This type of declaration will help pave the way to a next wave of activity as we continue to position ourselves as world leaders in new innovative bio-products made from wood fibre."

The participants at the Kenora Innovation Summit that endorsed the Declaration included FPAC, representatives of both provincial and the federal government, industry, academics and research organizations.

"Innovation in processes, products, markets and partnerships are the pathway to prosperity and job creation", says Lindsay. "Initiatives such as this declaration will spur the forest sector to develop these new innovations and help reach the Vision2020 goal of generating an additional $20 billion dollar in economic activity by the end of the decade."

FPAC provides a voice for Canada's wood, pulp, and paper producers nationally and internationally in government, trade, and environmental affairs. The $58-billion-a-year forest products industry represents 2% of Canada's GDP and is one of Canada's largest employers operating in hundreds of communities and providing 230,000 direct jobs across the country.

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SOURCE Forest Products Association of Canada