The Innu Nation has entered into an agreement with JP Forestry and Environment Ltd of Corner Brook for a two-phase forestry project in Labrador.
According to a release, the project will make use of wood cut for Muskrat Falls that otherwise would have gone to waste.
In phase one, 400,000 cubic meters of timber harvested between 2013 and 2015 at the Lower Churchill project will be chipped and shipped to the biomass fuel markets in the United States and Europe.
During this process, over 70 jobs will be created.
Phase two of the project will involve the harvesting of 185,000 cubic meters of timber per year.
The project will be guided by regulations set out in the 2018-2022 Five Year Operating Plan for the Forestry Management District 19.
Grand Chief Gregory Rich says the Innu Nation is frequently approached for forestry development in their territory, and that this is “the first project in decades that makes sense” for them. He touts the project for creating jobs for those in the area, for helping to create a diversified forest economy, and for helping meet the needs of the industry at both a local and global level.
Phase one of the project is slated to start this month.