Centre d'étude de la forêt

Name

Centre d'étude de la forêt

Legal name

Centre d'étude de la forêt

Website

https://cef-cfr.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Forestry and Forest Ecology Research Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Forestry (800), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)

Keywords

• Forestry research consortium
• Academic research cluster
• Forest ecology studies
• Wildfire risk research
• Biodiversity conservation research

Headquarters

HQ city

Québec (Multiple campuses)

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Research Funding: Strategic Cluster financed by FRQNT (Fonds de recherche du Québec - Nature et technologies), along with project funding from MRNF (Ministère des Ressources naturelles et des Forêts), and other government research grants
2. Research Project Grants: Individual research projects funded by various government agencies and partners including NSERC grants (e.g., $6.21 million over five years for discovery grants), MRNF research programs, and industry partnerships

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Centre d'étude de la forêt (CEF/CFR) is a non-profit Strategic Research Cluster that coordinates advanced academic research and graduate training in forest biology, ecology, and management across 12 Quebec universities plus one Cegep, with 87 scientists and 75 collaborating external researchers. It produces peer-reviewed publications, hosts an annual colloquium and training programs, maintains the FSC-certified FERLD research forest, and delivers open-source research tools such as the qwanamiz Python software and interactive mapping applications, funded through FRQNT, MRNF, NSERC, and partner grants.

Product overview

Centre d'étude de la forêt (CEF) / Centre for Forest Research is a Quebec-based research consortium that functions as a collaborative platform rather than a commercial product company. It brings together over 160 researchers from universities and government sectors focused on forest biology, ecology, and management. The CEF offers various knowledge dissemination platforms including CEF-TV (video channel), the CEF Blog, and annual conferences. It also supports research tools such as the Forêt d'enseignement et de recherche du lac Duparquet (FERLD) for field research, interactive mapping tools for wildfire predisposition and urban tree inventory, and open-source software like qwanamiz for wood anatomy analysis. The consortium's outputs primarily include publications, conferences, training, and research tools rather than commercial products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• qwanamiz Open-Source Python Software Open-source Python package for automating tracheid and tree-ring measurements in conifer quantitative wood anatomy, using image analysis and geometric algorithms including adjacency graphs to reconstruct spatial relationships of tracheids. Made available to wood anatomy researchers globally.
• Annual CEF Colloquium
• Interactive Wildfire Predisposition Map
• Interactive Urban Tree Map (CRAUM)
• Fungal Biodiversity Map

Quantifiable outcome

• Biodiversity recovery after clear-cut harvest: ~30 years for half of cases, but >100 years for bryophytes, >55 years for small mammals, ~95 years for lichens in conifer forests (Nature Sustainability 2026)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MRNF (Ministère des Ressources naturelles et des Forêts)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor government partner providing research funding through various programs including the Appel de projets en aménagement durable des forêts, Direction de la recherche forestière publications, and collaborative research on forest policy.
• SOPFEU (Société de Protection des Forêts contre le Feu)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates on wildfire research including community wildfire risk assessment mapping and fire behavior modeling.
• Environment and Climate Change CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner supporting research on caribou conservation, climate change impacts on forests, and biodiversity monitoring through researchers like Junior Tremblay and Mathieu Leblond.
• Université LavalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost institution for the 2026 Colloque and home to numerous CEF researchers including Christian Messier, Alain Paquette, and the Faculty of Forestry, Geography and Geomatics.
• West FraserminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustrial partner in the FERLD (Forêt d'enseignement et de recherche du lac Duparquet) management committee, representing forest industry involvement in research forest management.
• Chantiers ChibougamauminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustrial partner in the FERLD management committee, collaborating on sustainable forest management research.
• CATIE (Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCosta Rican institution offering training opportunities, sabbatical programs, and field research options for CEF members in agroforestry and natural resource management.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• CATIE (Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza): Costa Rica-based agricultural and forestry research/education center offering training and sabbaticals. Listed as a CEF partner for tropical agroforestry research and training; thematically related forestry research and graduate education organization in a different geography.

Broad incumbents

• INRAE (Institut national de recherche pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement): Major French public research institute covering agriculture, food, and environment including forest ecology research. Comparable as a publicly funded multi-institutional research consortium producing forestry ecology and management research, though at much larger national scale.
• European Forest Institute (EFI): Pan-European interdisciplinary forest research organization linking science to policy across 30+ member countries. Comparable as a multi-institutional forestry research network funded by governments, but at continental European scale.
• Canadian Forest Service (Natural Resources Canada): Federal government agency conducting scientific research on Canadian forests, including ecology, wildfire, and climate adaptation. Comparable to CEF as a major publicly funded forestry research body, but with national scope and federal mandate rather than Quebec-focused.
• CIFOR-ICRAF (Center for International Forestry Research): International forestry research organization focused on tropical and global forest sustainability, biodiversity, and climate. Comparable as a research consortium publishing peer-reviewed forestry science, but with global tropical forest mandate rather than Quebec boreal/temperate focus.

Direct peers

• FPInnovations: Canada's largest private non-profit forest research organization, focused on forest sector innovation with industry-academic partnerships across pulp, paper, wood products, and bioeconomy. Most directly comparable peer in Canadian forestry R&D model, with similar public/private funding mix and member-driven research structure.
• BC Forest Research Alliance: British Columbia consortium of forest researchers from universities and government agencies focused on sustainable forest management. Highly comparable to CEF as a Canadian provincial-scale research consortium with multi-institutional membership and government/industry funding.

Regional players

• Forest Research (UK): British forestry research agency providing evidence-based forestry science for UK government and industry. Comparable as a publicly funded forestry research institution with applied ecology and management mandate, though UK-focused.
• Scion (New Zealand Forest Research Institute): New Zealand government-owned crown research institute conducting forestry science from genetics to ecosystem services. Comparable non-profit forestry R&D organization with similar member-driven model, though operating in a different geography.
• Skogforsk (Swedish Forestry Research Institute): Swedish forestry research institute funded by industry and government, focused on sustainable forest management and innovation. Comparable member-funded forestry R&D organization with applied boreal/temperate forest focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CEF_CFR
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCP-zwfZD5eZLLjJO1n6Rrrw
• Facebookfacebook.com/CEF.CFR
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cef-cfr
• Instagraminstagram.com/cef_cfr

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Centre d'étude de la forêt