Foresters hoping to harvest bioeconomy opportunities

Demand for traditional wood products down, interest in innovative forest renewables up

By Jen St. Denis

Ethanol is part of it. So are tall wood buildings. Ditto for newfangled bio-plastics. It’s all part of the bioeconomy, and B.C. forestry companies who are willing and able to innovate will be able to take advantage of it, said David Cohen, a University of British Columbia forestry professor who spoke at a global forestry conference in Vancouver last week. “Companies like General Electric, Unilever and IBM have recognized this and see that there’s profitability in doing these kinds of things,” said Cohen. The planet will continue to face increasing demand for non-renewable resources, at a cost to the environment.

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