Canfor Pulp Limited Partnership Grant Award Ceremony

November 25, 2011
Canfor Pulp CEO Presents Research Awards

In ceremonies during the week of November 21, 2011, Joe Nemeth, CEO of Canfor Pulp Limited Partnership (CPLP), presented the first installment of grants totaling $150,000 over three years to faculty at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC). The awards were the first in a Grants Program announced in June 2011 to foster collaborative research between CPLP and UNBC and UBC.
At UNBC on November 22, 2011, Mr. Nemeth presented an award to Professors Steve Helle and Michael Rutherford for research on value-added ash utilization. This project will investigate opportunities for using bio-energy ash currently disposed as landfill for use as soil amendment in forestry and agricultural applications. He noted that this project was important because “It not only addresses an environmental issue related to ash disposal from our mills but seeks to turn this to advantage in enhancing our forest resource. We look forward to collaborating with UNBC in the work.” In opening remarks at the ceremony, Dr. Iwama, President of UNBC, thanked CPLP for this forwardlooking Program of CPLP, noting that it “will increase links between UNBC and CPLP whose 3 pulp mills are a key economic engine of our Prince George community.”  At UBC on November 25. 2011, Mr. Nemeth presented a similar award to Professors Andre Phillion and Mark Martinez to study the three-dimensional structure of pulp fibres using X-Ray tomographic microscopy. Mr. Nemeth noted that “This project will help us better understand our fibre, and it complements a project on pulp refining we are now supporting in the UBC Pulp and Paper Centre.” He added that an additional benefit was the opening a link to the Engineering Program at UBC-Okanagan (Prof. Phillion) and commended the collaboration between these two campuses of UBC. Professor James Olson, Director of the UBC Pulp and Paper Centre, applauded the CPLP Program. “Canfor Pulp’s investment will directly support faculty and graduate student research aimed at serving the needs of current and future industry. This university-industry research partnership is a shining example of how we can work together to ensure BC leads the transformation into forest based bio-materials, energy and products economy.”

Joe Nemeth, Andre Phillion, Mark Martinez, Eric Hall, Paul Watson (Photo credit: Don Erhardt)

Further information: www.canforpulp.com/community/grants

Press release is here (Release)