The British Columbia province provided $149,500 over the past three years to Atli Resources Limited Partnership (Atli Resources LP), which is the forestry arm of the 'Na̱mg̱is First Nation, to support the acquisition of a northern Vancouver Island chipping facility: Atli Chip LP, located in Beaver Cove on the territory of the 'Na̱mg̱is First Nation.
Funding was awarded through FP Innovations, a delivery agent for the Indigenous Forest Bioeconomy Program and the Indigenous Forestry Program.
Doug Routley, Parliamentary Secretary for Forests, along with Michele Babchuk, MLA for North Island, visited the Atli facility.
The provincial funding was used to complete a business assessment and develop a plan to lay the foundation for the acquisition of Atli Chip Plant. The funding also supported a study on improving the use of lower-quality timber from the northern parts of Vancouver Island and an engineering project to design a commercial-scale facility for the extraction of tannins from waste hemlock fibre. Tannins are biochemicals used in leather tanning and other applications. This project opens the door to produce new bioproducts using chips as feedstock.
“The acquisition of Atli Chip Plant is a huge win for Atli Resources LP and the north Island as a whole,” said Doug Mosher, CEO of Atli Resources LP and Atli Chip LP. “It will generate revenue to support other initiatives of Atli Resources LP and, ultimately, its owner, the 'Na̱mg̱is Nation, to increase the utilization of waste wood fibre, provide jobs in the community and create training opportunities to build capacity in forest operations and wood processing on northern Vancouver Island.”
Atli Resources LP is a forest company 100% owned by the 'Na̱mg̱is First Nation. The Nation, through Atli Resources LP, are majority owners of Atli Chip LP with minority stakes from Wahkash Contracting Ltd. and Paper Excellence, a diversified manufacturer of pulp and paper.
The forest bioeconomy focuses on using un-economic wood, such as leftover bark and shrubs from logging and wildfire debris, to make bioproducts, such as consumer goods and industrial products. The forest bioeconomy is helping shift the forest sector to a waste-free circular economy that fights against climate change, while supporting the CleanBC: Roadmap to 2030.
