B.C. startup turning junk wood into lumber

Junk wood into lumber

Photo: wikimedia commons

Aspen is a deciduous tree that is not suitable for making lumber.

Vancouver cleantech venture capital firm Chrysalix Venture Capital is getting behind a B.C. company that developed an innovative process for turning aspen and other junk timber into lumber at a new manufacturing plant in Fort St. James, B.C.

Deadwood Innovations, a B.C. company, developed a thermochemical process that takes aspen and other low-quality timber that is unsuitable for sawmilling and transforms it into durable, high-quality lumber.

“At Chrysalix, we recognize the significant challenges facing the forestry industry today, including rising costs, price volatility, shrinking margins, and the growing demand for sustainable products,” Chrysalix partner Alfred Lam said in a press release.

“We are excited to support Deadwood Innovations and their groundbreaking upgrading solution, which directly addresses these challenges by converting low-value feedstocks and waste into high-value products."

The new engineered wood process may address a problem the B.C. with a declining harvest by adding aspen and other poor timber to the fibre basket for making lumber.

Aspen is a deciduous tree that the forest sector considers something of a weed that is only good for pulp, plywood and bioenergy. It is soft, weak, and prone to rot, warping, twisting and shrinkage.

It is most prevalent in the central Interior and northeastern B.C. In the Fort Nelson area, about 60 per cent of the forest is made up of deciduous species, including aspen. In reforestation, aspen’s growth is actively discouraged with the use of herbicides.

Deadwood Innovations developed a thermo-chemical treatment process that increases the wood’s density and strength so that it can be formed into lumber.

Chrysalix’s investment will  help finance Deadwood’s first commercial scale plant in Fort St. James, in partnership with the Nak’azdli Whut’en  First Nation’s Nak'azdli Development Corp.

“We chose to partner with Chrysalix because they are one of the rare VC firms that truly understand industrial innovation and the unique challenges and opportunities within the forestry sector,” Deadwood Innovations CEO Owen Miller said in a press release.

“As we enter the next phase of our journey, their expertise, extensive network, and commitment to our vision will be crucial in driving Deadwood’s growth across Canada and expansion into global markets.”