[Barrie, ON September 21, 2021] – Kingbridge Centre and Forests Ontario are partnering to accelerate innovative solutions that contribute to the growth of the Ontario and Canadian forest industry and the related economic and community activities including among others large scale tree planting and forest management. They will work together to develop and implement these key solutions using technology, research and education to address the risks caused by human impact on our climate.
This strategic partnership will see Kingbridge Centre and Forests Ontario collaborating on several long-term projects. By working with new technologies, data, and methodologies, they will enhance and augment activities that contribute to genetic preservation, endemic species management, seed collection opportunities, which in turn supports an increase in capacity to plant trees. The two organizations will also work on developing a national forest restoration tracking tool, implementing novel technology to improve reporting on forest survival. Forests Ontario’s community engagement tree planting program, Take Root, will also benefit from this collaboration through cross promotion.
Malcolm Cockwell, President of Forests Ontario, and Prashant Pathak, Chair of Kingbridge Centre and Innovation Hub, will announce the partnership and discuss future initiatives in a live, virtual event on Wednesday, Sept. 22nd at 11:30am. Interested parties can tune in at https://kingbridgeinnovation.live/Forests.
“Forests Ontario is thrilled to be partnering with Kingbridge Centre,” said Malcolm Cockwell. “By working together with our unique sets of skills and expertise, we will make big strides in the areas of large-scale tree planting and forest management.”
Forests Ontario’s contributions to the collaboration include over a decade of tree planting experience. As the leading non-profit for afforestation tree planting, Forests Ontario has a vast network of partnerships with seed collectors, nurseries, tree planters, and others like conservation authorities, governments and First Nations, all of which bring crucial knowledge to the table for advancing innovation in the field.
“This partnership is of utmost importance to Kingbridge Centre and the Innovation Hub at Kingbridge. It is a cornerstone as our team works to curate, develop and scale solutions and businesses that will contribute towards mitigating the adverse social and economic effects of climate change,” said Prashant Pathak. “Forests are a well-known and critical part of the nature-based solutions that we need to fight climate change. We look forward to working together on new technologies to increase forest cover and to enhancing the contribution that the forest sector has for a more prosperous and healthy Ontario.”
Kingbridge Centre will bring their proficiency in innovation and commercializing of innovative ideas to the forefront by offering new research and technologies to create inventive solutions. The Innovation Hub’s ability to develop, test, and scale ways to increase tree planting capacity will be an important part of the partnership.
Organizations interested in the work that Forests Ontario and Kingbridge Centre are undertaking should contact The Kingbridge Centre at 905-833-3086
About Forests Ontario
Forests Ontario is a not-for-profit charity dedicated to re-greening the province through the support of forest restoration, stewardship, education and awareness. We promote Canada’s greatest natural resource – our forests – because healthy forests sustain healthy communities and healthy economies. Forests Ontario is the voice of our forests. Visit www.forestsontario.ca or follow us @Forests_Ontario to find out more.
About Kingbridge Centre and Innovation Hub
The Kingbridge Innovation Hub is dedicated to fostering the next generation of solutions to advance the ecologically responsible economy, including technologies and business models providing economic, social and environmental benefits. High impact, high-risk projects with global market potential are supported with patient capital and broad partnerships, accelerating initiatives in agri-food innovation, clean energy, water preservation, restoration and re-naturalization of land, and solutions geared to circular economy. Visit www.kingbridgecentre.com to find out more.
For more information, photos, or to arrange an interview please contact:
Colleen Mahaffie
Communications Officer
Forests Ontario / Forest Recovery Canada
416.646.1193 ext. 225
cmahaffie@forestsontario.ca
