A low-cost portable wood-drying kiln is being piloted among Canada’s First Nations communities to support the manufacturing of value-added timber products in rural areas.

The project, by British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) and Boston Bar First Nation, is powered by a hot-water boiler and can dry 17,000 board feet of timber per load. It will create about 20 new jobs and C$108,000 in annual revenue.

Western Economic Diversification, a division of the Canadian government which support innovation and the building of sustainable communities, has provided C$59,000 funding for the pilot project.

BCIT has plans for 50 additional kilns and training programmes to be set up within British Columbia. The kiln’s design allows communities to build and operate their own units for as little as C$50,000.