Jul 22, 2009. /Lesprom Network/. The Canadian Forest Service's (CFS) Great Lakes Forestry Centre (GLFC) in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario will now be the home of the new Invasive Species Centre, ForestTalk reported. The Invasive Species Centre is a joint initiative with the federal government and the province of Ontario. The Government of Canada is contributing a total of $13.4 million to the GLFC, consisting of $9 million in funding over two years for the new Invasive Species Centre and $4.4 million to modernize the GLFC facilities. The Government of Ontario has committed $15 million to the Invasive Species Centre initiative. Building the new centre will provide jobs and economic stimulus in the Sault Ste. Marie area. "The new Invasive Species Centre in Sault Ste. Marie will provide a boost to the local economy and will help us coordinate provincial, national and international efforts to check the spread of terrestrial and aquatic invading species and the negative effects they can have on the health of our ecosystems and economy across Ontario," said the Honourable Donna Cansfield, Ontario Minister of Natural Resources. "We are fortunate to live in a province blessed with an abundant variety of plants, animals, birds, fish and insects, but we need to stop the spread of invasive species if we are to preserve the province's biodiversity." Natural Resources Canada’s (NRCan) scientists working at the GLFC have focused mainly on three alien invasive insects affecting Ontario’s forests: the emerald ash borer, the Asian longhorned beetle and the Sirex wood wasp. Research is being conducted on the life cycle of these forest pests and to develop detection and control techniques. “Invasive species, such as the emerald ash borer, are serious threats to forest ecosystems and communities and could potentially cause millions of dollars in damage to forest resources and city landscapes,” said the Honourable Lisa Raitt, federal Minister of Natural Resources. “We’re pooling our resources so we can be more effective in finding ways to detect, contain and control invasive species.” The Great Lakes Forestry Centre is one of six Canadian Forest Service centres in Canada. The Government of Canada's investments in the new centre and the forestry lab upgrades are part of Canada's Economic Action Plan, which provides $250 million over the next two years to modernize federal laboratories. This funding, one of several job-creation investments of the Economic Action Plan, will modernize these facilities while stimulating regional economies.