Southwest Nova Scotia Recognized as Prime Location to Develop Bioeconomy Projects

The BDO Zone Initiative has issued a BDO Zone ‘A’ rating for Southwest Nova Scotia for 550,000 green metric tons per year of sawmill residuals and by-product wood fibre from the forest sector.
The Bioeconomy Development Opportunity (BDO) Zone certifies ‘regional readiness’ for bioeconomy projects through a CSA-certified rating.

Southwest NS BDO Zone Brief

About the Area

Southwest Nova Scotia stands as an economic powerhouse, anchored in advanced manufacturing, forestry, agriculture and fishing. Home to globally renowned Universities, and the Nova Scotia Community College, the region nurtures a skilled workforce with a rich history of resource management.

The Forest Sector is key to the economic fabric of Southwest Nova Scotia. The region is home to thousands of private woodlot owners, the province’s largest sawmill, as well as 400,000 ha of crown land under Ecological Forest Management where forest practices focus on maintaining, enhancing, or restoring the ecological functions in an ecosystem in which biodiversity is the most important consideration.

At a Glance

OPPORTUNITIES

Economic Growth
Regional Investment Readiness
Recognition and Visibility

BENEFITS

Investment opportunities
Valorization of 550,000 GMT of Sawmill Residuals and Byproduct Wood Fibre
Innovation and Research
Sustainable Practices

The Challenge

However, starting with the loss of Bowater Mersey Newsprint in 2012, and followed by the closure of Northern Pulp in 2020, the decline of the Pulp and Paper industry has created challenges for the region. These events created a loss of hundreds of well-paying jobs, and the resulting contraction in markets for sawmill wood chips, bark, sawdust, and shavings as well as by-product wood fibre from forest management have hurt the region, the forest sector, and in particular woodlot owners.

What is the Bioeconomy?

The bioeconomy is a source of potential solutions to the problem. This interconnected, circular economy sources, distributes, uses, reuses and finds new applications for renewable bioresources.

While in its infancy, forest bioeconomy businesses globally are developing a range of low-carbon bioproducts that are substitutes for petrochemical-based materials. Bio-based plastics, biofuels, packaging and building products are just a few examples.

What is a BDO Zone?

The Bioeconomy Development Opportunity Zone Initiative certifies ‘regional readiness’ for bioeconomy projects by providing a CSA-certified rating that assesses the investability of raw material supply (feedstock) manufacturing assets, workforce, and transportation networks of a region or ‘Zone’. Similar to an investment prospectus, a favourable rating sends a signal to investors and project developers that the BDO Zone is a good location to develop new biomanufacturing facilities.

Bioeconomy Businesses

Local Nova Scotia examples include Maskwiomin, which produces birch bark extract-infused skincare creams, and AlterBiota which produces biographene from byproduct wood fibre for use in cement applications. As bioeconomy businesses bring their innovations to market, they require locations to grow with the right combination of feedstock supply, workforce, host sites, and partners.

About the Rating

In 2023, the Greenspring Bioinnovation Hub collaborated with the Town of Bridgewater, Municipality of Chester, Municipality of the District of Lunenburg and Region of Queens Municipality to undergo a comprehensive assessment through the BDO Zone process in Southwest Nova Scotia.

The Southwest Nova Scotia BDO Zone received a favourable ‘A’ rating reflecting ‘high quality’ supply chains and robust infrastructure that includes a sustainable supply of 550,000 green metric tons per year of sawmill residuals (bark, wood chips, sawdust, shavings) and byproduct wood fibre from the forest sector.

The rating was also reviewed to ensure validity by an ‘Independent Review Committee’ of local economic development and forestry experts that included representatives from the Town of Bridgewater, Municipality of the District of Chester, Municipality of the District of Lunenberg, Region of Queens Municipality, Invest Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and Renewables, Freeman Lumber, the Mi’kmawey Forestry Initiative, WestFor Management Inc., the Nova Scotia Forestry Economic Task Force, the Western Woodlot Services Cooperative Ltd., Novon Forestry, and D. Bedford Forestry Services Inc.

About the Zone

The Zone encompasses a 150 km radius, centered around Caledonia, NS, and includes four strategically located sites within 150 km of the Port of Halifax:

Kaizer Meadow Industrial Park
- 150 acres, 1 hour from Port of Halifax
Port Mersey commercial Park
- 88 acres, 550-foot active wharf, nearby 100-Series highway
Freeman Lumber
- Innovative multi-generational sawmill, the largest employer in Queens County, strategically located near provincial-series highway
Bridgewater Business Park
- 125 acres, actively investing and expanding the park, strategic location supports skilled labour market and customer base

Summary

The Southwest Nova Scotia BDO Zone is an outstanding initiative that signals to bioeconomy investors around the world that Nova Scotia is an excellent location to establish and grow their businesses. The partners are excited to utilize the Zone to help foster new innovative businesses and career opportunities built upon the use of by-product wood fibre and sawmill residuals from the local forest industry in low-carbon, bio-based products.