MICHAEL SCAFE, PH. D (C).
My name is Michael Scafe and I am a Ph.D student in Forestry at the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design at the University of Toronto. I was born and raised in London, Ontario and hold an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Western Ontario and a master’s degree in economics from the University of Toronto.
My research focuses on the dynamics of forest economy, understanding forestry value chains and technology and seeking to unravel the processes by which value is generated and propagated throughout the forest economy. I have become interested in mass timber as a building material and am presently engaged in statistical analysis and research to identify barriers in procurement, manufacturing, and installation of mass timber structures. This is done with an eye for growing the market for mass timber in Ontario, both the production of engineered wood products and its use in off-site construction.
Recently, I have additionally been investigating the integration of mass timber demand into existing forest ecosystem models such as 4C to evaluate sustainability, as well as opportunities for greater recovery of wood residue for use as biomass in a variety of applications. I am pleased to have the opportunity to work for and assist the MTI and look forward to the future of forestry in Ontario.