WHITEHORSE, YT – The forest and wood products industry is an important contributor to the Yukon’s economy. Businesses that harvest timber or manufacture products from wood provide essential goods, such as heating fuel and lumber, to people and communities and contribute to a diversified economy. Today, the Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs, PrairiesCan and Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, announced that the Government of Canada is investing up to $341,600 in the Yukon Wood Products Association’s (YWPA) Yukon Forest Resources Capacity Support Initiative. …Through this initiative, the YWPA will provide training, build new opportunities for Yukon’s forest sector, and expand its membership to include artisans, craftspeople, woodworkers and non-timber forest products. It will also increase public awareness of the benefits of local forest and biomass opportunities as a way to reduce the territory’s reliance on imported goods and fossil fuels.