Value-added wood projects get head-start.

• Author: Ross, Ian
• Position: ABORIGINAL

A First Nations value-added wood project involving three northwestern Ontario communities received a $1.5 million cash injection from Queen's Park.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

The Two Feathers Forest Products Limited Partnership, based in Dryden, received $1 million to buy equipment to develop a wood manufacturing project in Red Lake and on the Eagle Lake First Nation.

The Whitefeather Forest Management Corp., based in the remote community of Pikangikum First Nation, received $524,600 to complete required planning to secure a commercial forestry tenure for the Whitefeather Forest.

Officials associated with the project were not available for comment.

Many years in the making, the whole Whitefeather Forest Initiative covers a huge range of land use projects in commercial forestry, non-timber forest products, tourism, mineral development and, land stewardship and conservation.

The entire value-added project is a partnership involving the First Nation communities of Wabigoon, Eagle Lake, Pikangikum and a Finnish company, Wood Tech Group, the latter is supplying technical know-how and private investment.

Among the product line will be specialty building components and high quality pre-manufacturing timber for export.

A Red Lake operation will...