Sault entering into bio-economy game.An environmentally friendly pesticide and injector system that stops the Asian long-horned beetle The Asian long-horned beetle(Anoplophora glabripennis), sometimes called Starry Sky (Sky Oxen in China) beetle, is native to China and where it causes widespread mortality of poplar, willow, elm, and maple throughout vast areas of eastern Asia. in its tracks may be the impetus for a Sault Ste. Marie Sault Sainte Marie — pronounced "Soo Saint Marie" (IPA /su seɪnt məˈɹi/) — is the name of two cities on the Saint Marys River, which forms part of the boundary between the United States and Canada. bio-economy cluster now in the planning stages. Some successful field trials in southern Ontario by BioForest Technologies Inc., a small Queen Street forest pest management company, may lead to new manufacturing jobs in Northern Ontario sometime soon. "The pace (of development) seems to be accelerating very quickly," says Joe Meating, BioForest's director of forest health management. "We're hoping to be commercial by next spring, selling our product in the U.S. and Canada." The infestation infestation /in·fes·ta·tion/ (-fes-ta´shun) parasitic attack or subsistence on the skin and/or its appendages, as by insects, mites, or ticks; sometimes used to denote parasitic invasion of the organs and tissues, as by helminths. problems caused by the North American arrival of the Asian long-horned beetle and emerald ash borer  This article or section may deal primarily with the U.S. and may not present a worldwide view. , combined with the timely development of their EcoJect system, in collaboration with the Canadian Forest Service The Canadian Forest Service (CFS) is a sector of the Canadian government department of Natural Resources Canada. Part of the federal government since 1899, the CFS is a science-based policy organization responsible for promoting the sustainable development of Canada's forests and , could not have been better. Using an environmentally-friendly insecticide derived from the seed extract of the Southeast Asian Neem tree, they have found a niche market among U.S. government agencies like the Department of Agriculture which has invited the Sault company back next year for a second round of field trials. By that time, Meating expects they will be taking orders on their soon-to-be-patented pesticide and injection system with municipal clients and tree-care companies lined up across the U.S. and Canada. BioForest is one of a stable of innovative local companies around which the city intends to build a bio-economic cluster of what Errol Caldwell calls science convergence. Caldwell, director of forest health and pest control at the Sault's Great Lakes Forestry Centre, is one of the drivers behind a plan to create a forestry research and technology park there. The initiative is gaining momentum with the recent completion of a business feasibility study and a new name for the former Science Works initiative - now dubbed Science Enterprise Algoma (SEA). A logo and Web site will soon follow as the public-private partnership seeks to secure government funding to get some area projects off the ground. The aim of SEA is to commercialize the innovative work being done, using natural resources by universities, colleges, research labs and private-sector companies, to, hopefully one day, create a "boulevard of science facilities." Caldwell says Northern Ontario could become a leader in value-added forest biomass opportunities. Building an eventual bricks and mortar A store (shop, supermarket, department store, etc.) in the real world. Contrast with clicks and mortar. presence will be necessary, but the consultant's report, prepared by MKI of Toronto, also addresses a long-standing gap in the commercialization of science. "Longer term, that's where the focus of the organization needs to be," says Caldwell, who will soon be named SEA's interim executive director. The Sault already has some vital pieces in place, beginning with two world-class government forestry labs in the city - Natural Resources Canada's Great Lakes Forestry Centre (GLFC GLFC Great Lakes Fishery Commission (Canada-US Joint Commission) ) and the Ontario Forest Research Institute Ontario Forest Research Institute (OFRI) is a division of the Ministry of Natural Resources (Ontario) (OMNR) located in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. This institute is composed of research scientists, specialists, statisticians, technicians, management, and . Collectively, they employ about 400 people and conduct more than $20 million in research annually. But over the years, much of it has been commercially developed elsewhere. SEA's approach is to take government research, enter into commercialization agreements with private-sector interests and take a percentage of profits as royalties. By establishing a portfolio of agreements over time, Caldwell says the organization can generate sufficient revenue to make it sustainable. The building blocks of support are being laid with a number of local organizations and companies setting up a presence within the GLFC. Algoma University College Algoma University College is a postsecondary institution in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada, offering undergraduate university degrees in more than 25 academic programs. Algoma is currently an affiliated college of Laurentian University in Sudbury. recently renovated some biology labs in the complex for their more advanced students. the Industrial Research Assistance Program, the Forest Engineering Research Institute of Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (French: Agence canadienne d'inspection des aliments), or CFIA, which was created in April 1997, brought together inspection and related services previously provided through the activities of four federal government departments , alternative energy company DynaMotive Energy Systems, along with a new venture, Forest Bioproducts Inc., a business development firm geared to non-timber forest products Non-timber forest products or NTFPs comprise all goods derived from forests of both plant and animal origin other than timber. NTFPs contribute to household income and subsistence and are of cultural importance in many rural societies. . The DFO is considering moving its small and antiquated sea lamprey lamprey, name for several primitive marine and freshwater fishes of the order Cyclostomata, or jawless fishes (see cyclostome). As in the other member of the order, the hagfish, the adult lamprey retains the notochord, the supporting structure that in higher research lab from the Sault canal to new quarters nearby. ULERN ULERN Upper Lakes Environmental Research Network (Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada) (Upper Lakes Environmental Research Network), a local not-for-profit conglomerate of government, academic and private corporations, that promotes R&D in the natural resources sector, has also moved in as a strategic partner. Caldwell says there is an abundance of research projects on the go in bio-energy/co-generation and government-private research activity into combating aquatic and airborne invasive species. The Sault effort is part of a larger Northern Ontario biotechnology initiative known as NOBI, which is identifying bio-medical, environmental technology and bio-product opportunities. Caldwell will spend the next few months registering SEA for not-for-profit status and seeking two to three years worth of operating funding from all three government levels, as well as hiring bio-product market specialists. The specialists will be assigned to "drum up" business by fostering the creation of new startups and helping existing businesses expand or take advantage of any research opportunities coming down from government labs and universities. "We're awaiting provincial decisions whether the Northern Ontario (cluster) ... will be getting funding to get this initiative off the ground. www.bioforest.ca By IAN ROSS Northern Ontario Business Northern Ontario Business is a Canadian magazine, which publishes monthly in Greater Sudbury, Ontario. The magazine covers business news and issues in Northern Ontario. |
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