A Village of Burns Lake in camera release indicated council’s support for potentially developing a value added aspen facility in the local area.
According to the release, there is currently a proponent that is interested in local aspen fibre.
Council has agreed to writing a letter to Minister of Forest Lands and Natural Resource Operations, Steve Thomson to show their support for such a facility.
As reported in the Lakes District News edition of March 21, 2012, Miles Fuller, a local resident and shareholder of Aspenware Inc. indicated to council that the company is on the verge of expanding and is looking at the possibility of locating a plant in the Burns Lake area.
The company is located in Vernon B.C. and they are the only manufacturer of wooden cutlery in North America.
During a presentation to council about the company, Fuller said their wooden cutlery is all natural and is comprised of two thin layers of birch or aspen veneer ,which is then laminated with a safe, edible, U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved binding agent. To eliminate any wooden taste, the eating portion of the cutlery is sprayed with a tasteless confectioners glaze.
“The cutlery makes use of the wood that no one else in the industry wants,” he said. Aspenware Inc. uses birch that is cut in usual logging operations.
Fuller said much of this unwanted timber is traditionally left to rot, or is burned in slash piles and he estimated that one logging truck load of timber would make up to one million knives.
He also indicated that if a plant is to be located in Burns Lake, it would have the potential to employ up to 120 local residents.
Aspenware cutlery was recently used in Burns Lake during the 2012 Minerals North conference
