Bowater planning urban forest

Bowater CEO David J. Paterson yesterday joined employees and invited guests at the new Broadway Avenue and announced the company’s plan for the development of a new urban forest on adjacent property.
As part of the celebration to commemorate Bowater’s 400 millionth seedling planted in the region, Bowater, in co-operation with the City of Thunder Bay, is establishing an urban forest surrounding the new Broadway Avenue.
When complete, the urban forest will encompass 10 hectares of predominantly native species.
The forest, which can be viewed while passing by on the new roadway, will house walking and educational trails in the future for use by the community.
This new road bypasses the original Broadway Avenue, which was directly adjacent to the Bowater property. The original roadway is host to a variety of traffic, including heavy trucks and machinery.
It will be closed to the public following the opening of the new roadway, anticipated sometime in late October.
“Bowater’s commitment to sustainable forestry is deeper and farther reaching than the work that companies like ours are mandated to do,” said Paterson.
“We are here today [Tuesday] celebrating a significant achievement on the part of this company, its employees, and contractors who work each day in the forest.
“We are regenerating this property and developing an urban forest as a testament to their professionalism and accomplishments, and to the work they do each and every day to sustain the forests in Northwestern Ontario and other areas where we operate,” he added.
“I command Bowater and its employees on planting the company’s 400 millionth seedling in the northwest,” said Natural Resources minister David Ramsey.
“The establishment of an urban forest is a unique way to mark this important milestone, and it will add to the natural areas Thunder Bay’s residents already enjoy,” he added.
Representatives of the City of Thunder Bay also were on hand for yesterday’s ceremony and will be involved in planning this forest in the coming year.
“I applaud Bowater’s ongoing commitment to forest management and to bringing this urban forest to our community,” said Thunder Bay Mayor Lynn Peterson.
“It beautifies our city on a major roadway, and it will also serve as a recreational and educational area for our citizens.”
Bowater Thunder Bay Woodlands manages 3.3 million hectares of forestland in Northwestern Ontario under guidelines directed by the Ministry of Natural Resources.