The documentary will highlight the innovations that Northern Ontario company Superior Thermowood have made with regards to value-added product. Thermal modification increases hardness and R-Value of wood while reducing its weight. It also adds darker rich colour and brings out grain like a fine wood stain but throughout the wood instead of just on the surface. The process uses a huge computer-controlled “dryer” to bake under-utilized species like birch and poplar and change the properties of these materials. The results are astounding. Poplar comes out like fir, free of it’s usual staining, and birch comes out like a pre-stained black ash. When thermally-modified, black ash, a reasonably affordable hardwood species comes out almost indistinguishable from black walnut, an extremely expensive rare hardwood.

Applications for softwoods primarily include an environmentally friendly alternative to highly toxic “pressure-treated” lumber for decks, railings, playground equipment and exterior finishing. Applications for hardwoods include flooring, cabinets, furniture and fine wood products.

Featuring one of the most exciting green forestry innovations, this section of the film highlights Aspenware Inc. a B.C. based company with broad investment that is locating a new plant in Northern Ontario. Aspenware was featured on the CBC’s TV Show “The Dragon’s Den” Season 3, Episode 10. Construction of their new plant begins in Spring 2010.

60 Billion plastic knives, forks and spoons are thrown out in North America every year! Aspenware Inc. uses underutilized species like Birch and Aspen to manufacture attractive wooden, disposable cutlery which, when composted, returns to soil within 6 months. They will construct a 50,000 square foot manufacturing facility in the community of Dryden Ontario. The plant will employee in excess of 100-people to start. Amazingly, their patented process can produce 10,000 forks from only one cubic meter of birch wood, making this one of the greenest value-added products ever. In terms of employment vs. land use this is the most efficient industrial application in all of forestry creating 100 jobs from the same cut area that would employ only one person in the pulp and paper (and related) industries.

Today, Aspenware is expanding and building their new manufacturing facility. For Apsenware, this is just the beginning as they can see their manufacturing processes applied to other products like auto parts, computers, and essentially anything that can be made from plastics.