Integration within the forest industry in Canada historically developed to optimize use of the available timber resource. Sawmill residues, which were at one time considered waste, changed into a sought-after resource for panel and pulp manufactures. With the downturn in the Canadian forest industry and the 46.5% decrease in nationwide sawn lumber production between 2004 and 2009, the potential for utilizing sawmill residues to develop novel markets presents itself with added encouragement from national and global pressures towards creating a sustainable bio-based economy. Scarcity of information related to quantity and quality of local sawmill residue feedstocks leads to a lack of reliable data that can be used by entrepreneurs to develop sustainable supply chains for this resource. The development of an easily updateable sawmill database for all provinces, Manitoba eastwards, is explained in detail along with the comprehensive presentation of a sawmill residue output calculation model for sawdust, bark, chips/slabs, and shavings. These tools will help to predict current and future sawmill residue availability and aid in the most efficient uses of this resource in the bioeconomy.

Accurate estimations of quantities of forest biomass, which can be economically and sustainably supplied to market in Eastern Canada, will provide the required basis for sound policy development and encourage investment in the bioeconomy. A critical review of existing estimations of forest harvest residues found that the differences in these estimations for Eastern Canada can largely be explained by varying considerations of ecological, technical, economic, and social limitations. It is suggested that spatial and temporal estimations, along with the use of cost supply curves and economic models at the finer scale, will give realistic estimates of sustainable biomass quantities, moving estimations from theoretical potential to actual market availability.Keywords: harvest residue, forest biomass, estimation, availability, supply, market, bioenergy, Eastern Canada, BIMAT, BiOS résumé Des estimations précises des volumes de biomasse forestière, qui pourraient approvisionner de façon économique et durable le marché de l' est du Canada, permettront de jeter les bases de politiques rationnelles et d' encourager les investissements dans le secteur de la bioéconomie. Un examen critique des estimations actuelles sur les résidus de récolte forestière a révélé que les différences dans les estimations réalisées pour l' est du Canada peuvent s' expliquer en grande partie par diverses considérations liées aux limites écologiques, techniques, économiques et sociales. Nous postulons que les estimations spatiales et temporelles, ainsi que l'utilisation des courbes de coûts d'approvisionnement et des modèles économiques à une échelle plus petite, géné-reront des estimés plus concrets des quantités durables de biomasse, les faisant passer d' estimés d'un potentiel théorique à une disponibilité réelle sur le marché.