Forest firm plants the seeds of consumer products; After nearly 30 years, family-run firm moves to value-added offerings.

• Author: Stewart, Nick
• Position: TIMMINS

From silviculture to soap, from cutting to carbon credits, one long-time forestry firm is looking to diversify beyond its roots, which run deep through the dark Timmins soil.

With nearly 30 years of business experience under their belts, the family behind Millson Forestry Service is taking a baby step into the realm of consumer products.

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"We're getting into non-traditional forest products," says David Millson, who runs the company with his wife, Sue.

"It's not something we're accustomed to, so we're learning as we go."

Sticking to their area of expertise, the company is moving forward on the use of balsam oil as the foundation for various products. With a wood allocation in the Romeo Mallette forest, the company can make use of special processes to extract oils from balsam fir trees.

From there, the oils are used as an ingredient to provide strong natural scents to products such as handmade soaps and other related products, which will initially be sold through the web. Discussions are underway to bring the products to various local retailers.

The balsam oil will also be sold in bottled form, for use in aroma-dispersal devices, such as incense burners.

Millson says the company hopes to capitalize on niche markets currently dominated by other naturally-scented soaps and products, such as Burt's Bees.

The company has also taken to selling what they refer to as "oxygen trees," which Millson acknowledges is somewhat of a redundant moniker, since all trees produce oxygen. Still, the stronger public push for a cleaner conscience when it comes to environmental impact is driving the move, and interest in the "product" has been high.

Online calculators will be made available to allow concerned consumers to calculate their projected "carbon footprint" for a particular activity, and then calculate the trees needed to offset that footprint. Millson Forestry will then plant the trees on private land purchased for this purpose, and will provide GPS coordinates to the buyer so that they can check up on their trees if they so choose.

Long-running family business adapts to forestry challenges

Balsam oil, "oxygen trees" part of the proposed diversification strategy

Even for a firm that has regularly reinvented itself, this type of consumer-focused shift represents a big change for Millson Forestry, marking the first time it has offered products for general sale.

The company began as a treeplanting firm after David and Sue first met in...