News
Maple Leaf's Board Appoints New Independent Director with Extensive Greenhouse and Reforestation Experience
(TSX-V: MPE)Last Close: July 14, 2010 - $0.115
Shares Issued: 61,586,627
Maple Leaf Reforestation Inc. ("Maple Leaf" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that subject to approval by the TSX Venture Exchange, Mr. Joe Wong has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the Company as an independent director. Mr. Wong is a resident of Telkwa, B.C., located near Smithers, B.C., and has spent the last 30 years improving reforestation nursery production systems and greenhouse systems and growing quality reforestation seedlings in the field as bare-root and in containers outdoor.
Mr. Wong began his reforestation nursery career with the B.C. Ministry of Forests in 1978 with the Nursery Development Section where he was involved in research trials that were aimed at developing nursery sites, new growing systems, fertilization treatments and growing regimes. From 1980 to 1984, he worked as the Quality Assurance Supervisor at the Ministry of Forest, Red Rock Nursery in Prince George, B.C. where he managed the quality control and the practical research department.
In 1985, Mr. Wong started his own reforestation nursery, Woodmere Nursery, during which he managed the design and construction of a greenhouse facility. Initial crop production at this nursery was 2.5 million containerized seedlings. Today this facility has an area of 6 acres under protected cultivation and grows 12 million seedlings annually. Mr. Wong is not only the manager but also the principal horticulturist and researcher for the company. In 1995, Woodmere Nursery was invited to build a nursery in Alberta. Mr. Wong worked with Fairview College to develop the growing facilities on its campus. The total growing area is 4 acres and it grows 6.5 million seedlings per year.
Mr. Wong has extensive experience assisting field silviculturists in improving reforestation success from seed collection to planting through implementation of research trials and analysis of plantation failures. He has also reduced costs for their silviculture programs by reducing the usage of seeds, growing crops with less energy and reducing the time to grow certain species. Mr. Wong has also been involved throughout his career in genetic improvement and research on the benefits of ectomycorrhizae symbiotic relationships in reforestation and afforestation. Led by Mr. Wong, Woodmere Nursery has won the Northern Forest Innovator's Award for its research into improving germination of Abies lasiocarpa.
Mr. Wong has recently embarked on conducting research with organic fertilizers to grow forestry seedlings and other crops in a greenhouse. This research aims to test whether seedlings grown with organic fertilizers are more stress resistant and also more resistant to pest attacks. Mr. Wong is now seeking new challenges and recognizes that his skills can be used in other parts of the world. With China's increasing needs for reforestation and afforestation, Mr. Wong would like to use his skills and experiences to assist China achieve its goals in improving efficiencies and effectiveness of nursery production. Other areas of assistance would be mitigating desertification in the north, growing new plantations of suitable species for future forestry needs, creating biodiversity in its land, enhancing water quality and assisting in climate change mitigation through terrestrial carbon sequestration.
Raymond Lai, President and CEO of Maple Leaf comments, "Joe's extensive and exceptional experience and expertise in the greenhouse and reforestation industry speaks for itself. We are very excited to have Joe join our board of directors."
About Maple Leaf Reforestation Inc.
Maple Leaf is a Canadian company operating five environmental related projects in China:
- a large-scale forest nursery in Inner Mongolia which is focused on growing value-added tree seedlings and nursery products;
- an alfalfa feedstock operation that produced 10,000 tons in 2009 with great expansion potential and opportunity to build an alfalfa crop cake processing plant;
- a multi-faceted Xinjiang Yellowhorn tree project which will provide for the manufacture of bio-diesel fuel and cooking oil and complement the fabrication of the ever demanding nutritious alfalfa feedstock;
- an organic fertilizer plant in the Hunan Province which will produce environmentally friendly bio-organic fertilizer; and
- a Flexi-Pipe distribution network to serve the oil and gas industry and other renewable energy industries.
For further information regarding Maple Leaf Reforestation Inc., visit www.mlreforestation.com or contact:
Maple Leaf Reforestation Inc.
Raymond Lai, Chairman, President & CEO
Tel: +1 (403) 668-7560
Fax: +1 (403) 769-9156
E-mail: rlai@mlreforestation.com
The TSX Venture Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Certain statements in this news release including (i) statements that may contain words such as "anticipate", "could", "expect", "seek", "may" "intend", "will", "believe", "should", "project", "forecast", "plan" and similar expressions, including the negatives thereof, (ii) statements that are based on current expectations and estimates about the markets in which Maple Leaf operates and (iii) statements of belief, intentions and expectations about developments, results and events that will or may occur in the future, constitute "forward-looking statements" and are based on certain assumptions and analysis made by Maple Leaf. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to future capital expenditures, including the amount, nature and timing thereof; other development trends within the China's seedling industry; business strategy; expansion and growth of Maple Leaf's business and operations and other such matters. Such forward-looking statements are subject to important risks and uncertainties, which are difficult to predict and that may affect Maple Leaf's operations, including, but are not limited to: the impact of general economic conditions; industry conditions; government and regulatory developments; seedling product supply and demand; competition; and Maple Leaf's ability to attract and retain qualified personnel. Maple Leaf's actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements and, accordingly, no assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do transpire or occur, what benefits Maple Leaf will derive there from.
Maple Leaf maintains a forward-looking statement database which is reviewed by management on a regular basis to ensure that no material change has occurred with respect to such forecasts. The Company will publicly disclose such material changes to its forward-looking statements as soon as they are known to management.