Ontario's forest sector is undergoing a significant shift owing to declining markets for traditional products; this shift is further exacerbated by a cyclical industry downturn. These factors are leading to extensive job losses in Ontario's north as well as rural community upheaval. Governments are striving to reverse these effects by stimulating new industries focused on using forest biofibre for products such as fuel for energy, specialty chemicals, and polymers. In light of these new demands, provincial and federal policy and science experts are examining the range of potential forest biomass utilization opportunities in terms of their long-term implications for sustainability, role in an emerging bioeconomy, and the possible influences of, for example, a changing climate and technological advances. Current research and broad-scale monitoring projects are helping to answer several important questions in the ecological, economic, policy, resource supply, and technological realms, while new questions must be continually addressed. In this paper, we describe the legislative, policy, and administrative context in which the sustainable biofibre industry may exist. We argue that social, economic, and environmental goals for a sustainable forest biofibre industry in Ontario can best be achieved by adhering to the principles of adaptive management. Market forces and third-party certification, which can influence the biofibre sector, are also discussed.Key words: forest biofibre, forest biomass, sustainable forest management, forest science, forest policy, precautionary approach, adaptive management, federal-provincial cooperation RÉSUMÉ Le secteur forestier de l'Ontario connaît une réorientation marquée suite au déclin des marchés des produits traditionnels; cette réorientation est exacerbée par un ralentissement cyclique de l'industrie. Ces facteurs ont entraîné des pertes massives d' emploi dans le nord de l'Ontario ainsi que des bouleversements au sein des communautés rurales. Les gouvernements cherchent à redémarrer l' économie locale en stimulant le développement de nouvelles industries centrées sur l'utilisation de la biofibre forestière pour la production de carburant à des fins énergétiques, de produits chimiques spécialisés et de polymères. En fonction de ces nouvelles demandes, les experts provinciaux et fédéraux en matière de politiques et de recherche étudient un ensemble de possibilités d'utilisation de la biomasse forestière en fonction de leurs implications à long terme pour la durabilité, de leur rôle au sein de la bioéconomie en émergence et des effets potentiels, à titre d' exemples, des changements climatiques et de nouvelles percées technologiques. Les projets actuels de recherche et de suivi à long terme permettent d'apporter une réponse à certaines questions déterminantes touchant les domaines de l' écologie, des politiques, de l'approvisionnement en matière première et des technologies, tandis que, sans cesse, de nouvelles questions doivent trouver réponse. Dans cet article, nous décriv...

Ontario's forest sector has been undergoing a significant structural shift resulting from a more than decade-long trend of declining markets for traditional products. Though there have been signs of industry recovery, the forestry industry is still far smaller than it once was. In order to sustain and improve Ontario's economic position, we must develop policies and supporting programs that transition our forest economy to a more robust and diverse set of markets, including capitalizing on opportunities that come from a thriving and sustainable forest bioeconomy. The current suite of programs is fragmented and does not provide support for all types of bioproducts and policy initiatives, nor across all sections of the value chain. These factors, coupled with the lack of a clear strategic direction for the bioeconomy, have contributed to Ontario's slow emergence into the bioeconomy when compared to other jurisdictions. It is proposed that a key way to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of policy support for the emerging bioeconomy is to integrate and coordinate the actions of the government with industry and academia players involved in the bioproducts sector. Forest policy needs to take a balanced, integrated approach to promote all aspects of the bioeconomy to help ensure the eventual success of Ontario's forest bioeconomy.