AI-driven project to modernize New Brunswick forestry getting $50M boost from Ottawa
Ottawa is offering up to $50 million to help build a digital forestry centre to better manage the province's wood supply, in part with artificial intelligence.
New Brunswick's forestry industry is embracing a $50 million boost from Ottawa to modernize the sector through an AI-driven digital forestry centre. The initiative, spearheaded by the Northern Hardwoods Research Institute in collaboration with ResearchNB, aims to create online tools for tracking and managing the province's wood supply.
New Brunswick's natural resources minister, John Herron, emphasized the importance of digitization, automation, and AI in driving productivity and attracting new investment. The project will focus on identifying available wood, determining what to plant and harvest, and protecting certain areas. It will also include log tracking and a virtual model of the forest.
This will lead to a more reliable supply, more efficient operations, better-informed investment decisions, lower costs, and increased competitiveness for the industry. The federal minister of energy and natural resources, Tim Hodgson, highlighted that the digital tools can also improve the entire value chain, including the cost of transporting lumber.
By optimizing truck dispatch and reducing empty miles, officials estimate that $25 million could be saved annually. The remaining $36 million needed for the project will be split between ResearchNB and the province's Department of Natural Resources. Officials assure that the AI-driven technology will create jobs rather than eliminate them, enabling workers to become more productive.
The forestry industry in New Brunswick supports approximately 24,000 jobs and contributes about $1.5 billion to the province's economy each year.
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