Premier Shawn Graham says companies can have access to crown wood in the Miramichi area, so long as the wood's processing happens nearby. (CBC)

The New Brunswick government is attempting a new approach to boost the beleaguered forestry industry in the province's northwest.

Companies are being asked to bid for access to 230,000 cubic metres of Crown wood, but with one condition: the wood has to be processed in the Miramichi area.

"If you want to access this wood, you must own or commit to building a plant here," said Premier Shawn Graham. "Either way, you must employ Miramichiers."

Graham has already promised 20,000 new jobs if the Liberals win a second mandate in the Sept. 27 election.

He said that while he'll keep trying to help traditional industries, his focus in northern New Brunswick will still be on what he calls high-growth sectors like modular fabrication.

Green Party leader Jack MacDougall said helping Miramichi benefit from nearby Crown lands is a start, but that an even better solution would be community forest management. He says low-impact, less mechanized harvesting could benefit mill towns like Bathurst, Dalhousie, and Edmundston.