The Ontario government says it is investing more than $14 million to modernize the province’s forest inventory system with new digital tools aimed at improving data access for the forestry sector.
In a release issued Tuesday, the Ministry of Natural Resources said the funding will support upgrades to the Forest Resources Inventory Information Management System, the province’s database of managed forests.
The province said the investment is intended to provide industry with more accurate and accessible information to support investment decisions, competitiveness and job creation.
“Ontario’s forest sector is a key economic driver that supports good-paying jobs and the workers and communities that depend on them across the province,” Associate Minister of Forestry and Forest Products Kevin Holland said in the release.
“As a leader in advanced forest inventory technology, Ontario is equipping industry with the data it needs to stay competitive, make faster decisions and establish the regulatory framework needed to support long-term growth.”
The province said the project is being developed through a partnership with Microsoft using Databricks technology to modernize how forest inventory information is collected, stored and shared.
Officials said the work is part of Ontario’s Roadmap to Protecting Ontario’s Forest Sector, a 10-year strategy focused on supporting forestry workers and businesses while adapting to global market pressures.
The government said the updated system will use lidar technology, a remote-sensing method that uses laser pulses to measure distances and generate detailed information about forest landscapes, ground elevation and some tree characteristics.
According to the province, the investment will support the storage and analysis of more than 3,700 terabytes of lidar data on a secure cloud-based platform.
“This investment puts better tools in the hands of the people who manage and depend on Ontario’s forests,” Natural Resources Minister Mike Harris said in the release.
“By investing in this innovation, we’re giving the forestry sector clearer, more reliable information to plan ahead, reduce operational burden and make confident decisions that will drive growth and protect the land and resources Ontarians depend on, today and for generations to come.”
The province said Ontario’s forest sector generates nearly $21 billion in revenue annually and supports close to 155,000 jobs.
Ontario forests cover approximately 70.5 million hectares, representing about 20 per cent of Canada’s forests and two per cent of forests worldwide, the ministry said.
