Canada · 19 d ago
Ottawa offers $50 million for a digital forestry centre in New Brunswick
Estimated value of the centre
86 $ million
The proposed Strategic Innovation Centre in Digital Forestry is valued at $86 million; Ottawa's share depends on the project's final approval, and most of the rest would come from the province.
The idea at its heart
Digital twin
The centre would build a digital replica of New Brunswick's forests, so foresters can test harvesting, reforestation and wildfire plans before acting on the ground.
Possible yearly savings
25 $ million
Gaetan Pelletier, executive director of the Northern Hardwood Research Institute, says the centre could cut the industry's costs in the province by about $25 million a year.
What's next
Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson says a national forestry strategy will come with the federal budget next month, as the sector faces low pulp prices and U.S. tariffs.
