Success Stories

Future Of Forest Industry Shifts From Hard Hats To Lab Coats

University of Toronto’s Dr. Emma Master (right) is leading a team of researchers including PhD. student Sonam Mahajan to develop innovative new materials from natural fibres.

The future of Ontario’s forest industry will be shaped not just by workers in hardhats but also by researchers in lab coats.  Scientists like the University of Toronto’s Dr. Emma Master are applying the latest discoveries in biotechnology to develop innovative new, high-value forestry products.

“Ontario, and Canada as a whole, have a wealth of forest and agricultural sources for natural fibres that we need to make better use of by developing new, higher value products,” said Dr. Master. “This is a huge opportunity. We need to think of our future. We need to make better use of our wealth.”

Dr. Master recently received a $100,000 grant from the McGuinty government’s Ontario Research Fund, a program of the Ministry of Research and Innovation, to purchase molecular imaging and other leading-edge laboratory equipment. The high-tech tools will enable her to engineer new materials from wood and agricultural sources that could replace plastics and other petrochemical-based materials.

Tree fibres are natural composite materials rich in chemicals, Dr. Master explained. By extracting the cellulose from wood fibres, and modifying them, scientists can create totally new materials such as a naturally waterproof film that could replace some plastics used in packaging.

Dr. Master’s research will help shape the future of Ontario’s forest industry, which has been a vital component of the provincial economy for more than 200 years. Today, the industry generates revenues of about $18 billion annually and provides the foundation for dozens of communities in northern Ontario. Although global competition is fierce, Ontario is up to the challenge.  With rich forestry resources, a continually growing wealth of knowledge and leading-edge processes and technologies, Ontario continues to remain highly competitive, securing a healthy future for the forestry industry.