A comparison of innovation in two Canadian forest service support industries

This paper compares innovation in two forestry support industries: Support Services for Forestry and Environmental Consulting. The aim of the paper is to better understand innovation within the forestry sector. Data is from the Statistics Canada Survey of Innovation carried out in 2003 which provides indicators of a firmʹs innovation activities, its competencies and capabilities, its strategy to market its innovation as well as the system of innovation that provides support to the firmʹs innovation activities. Significant differences were found between the two industries studied in respect to innovation. Environmental Consulting was found to be more innovative than Support Services for Forestry, as measured by a set of indicators of the innovation characteristics of innovative firms. The paper concludes with a discussion of contributions that service industries can make to innovation in forestry sector.