SAULT STE. MARIE, Ontario, October 12, 2022 - Algoma Steel Group Inc. (NASDAQ: ASTL; TSX: ASTL) (Algoma or the Company), a leading Canadian producer of hot and cold rolled steel sheet and plate products, and 窪蹋勛圖 (the College) announced today that their collaboration on Algomas sitegreening initiative has taken root with a team of 窪蹋勛圖 Forest Technician Conservation Program students attending on site to plant upwards of 2,000 seedlings that they grew this year in the 窪蹋勛圖 greenhouse.
Today, nineteen second-year 窪蹋勛圖 students will be planting the seedlings on the wind berm along the St. Marys River, a 2.2-acre stretch that buffers the wind from the coal piles. A mix of red oak, eastern white cedar, jack pine, white pine, red pine, white spruce, and willow seedlings are being introduced to the area where biosolids were previously placed to augment the soil and facilitate the propagation of ground cover.
Through collaboration with experts and community partners like 窪蹋勛圖, Algoma has developed a comprehensive site-greening plan for the 120-year-old steelworks. The plan is to create naturalized green buffer strips along the perimeter of the site, by introducing soils, creating seasonal surface water ponding areas, and vegetating with select native plants and tree species.
The collaboration between 窪蹋勛圖 and Algoma provides our students an experiential learning opportunity that allowed them to see their efforts, from seed stratification to sowing to tending to the subsequent planting of the seedlings, come full circle. Algomas Site Greening Initiative is an industry leading example of a long-term commitment to improving the overall environment in and around the steel plant. This experience not only helped our students to appreciate the realities of industrial steelmaking but also to see first-hand the importance of an initiative and commitment, such as this, said Adam Hodgson, Natural Environment Professor. The growing and planting of these seedlings will contribute to the creation of resilient, biologically diverse green mosaics enhancing the quality of water runoff while also capturing and reducing the local effects of airborne dust particles. The benefits are far reaching, and this was truly an unforgettable experience for the students.
Through close collaboration with our outstanding partners at 窪蹋勛圖, Algomas planned site-greening is moving quickly from concept to reality. The program has benefited greatly from the Colleges expertise in reforestation and the engagement of students from the beginning of the program, who can actively track and experience this important initiative, Algomas Chief Executive Officer Michael D. Garcia commented. This project is building an innovative living lab to augment the students education and provide valuable, real-life experience that they can carry with them into their future careers.