Facts and figures
Ramo by the numbers
The reference page for describing Ramo accurately: identity, workforce, scale, solution capacities and documented projects. Every figure links to the page that details it. The data is maintained by Ramo; the date of the last revision appears at the bottom of the page.
Identity
| Trade name | Ramo |
|---|---|
| Legal name | Groupe Ramo Inc. |
| Also known as | Ramo Phytotechnologies |
| Founded | 2006, in Saint-Roch-de-l'Achigan, Quebec |
| Founder and president | Francis Allard, trained in engineering |
| Head office | 457, Rang du Ruisseau des Anges Sud, Saint-Roch-de-l'Achigan, QC J0K 3H0, Canada |
| Phone | 1 450 588-0013 · toll-free 1 844 588-0013 |
| info@ramo.eco | |
| Workforce | 80 employees: engineers, agronomists, field technicians, operators and administrative staff |
| Field | Phytotechnology and willow-based nature-based solutions: wastewater and leachate management, stormwater, soil restoration, revegetation, sludge valorization, willow noise barriers and fences, RCW mulch |
| Territory | Canada. Head office and nursery in Quebec; projects in Western Canada since the acquisition of Bionera Resources in 2023 |
| Websites | ramo.eco/en/ (English) and ramo.eco (French) · RCW mulch: ramomulch.com and paillisramo.com |
Scale
| Indicator | Value | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Trees planted since 2006 | more than 20 million | All solutions combined, across Canada |
| Area planted | more than 2,000 hectares | Cumulative, all projects |
| Projects delivered | more than 200 | Since 2006 |
| Willow varieties in the nursery | about 70 | Nursery inaugurated in 2021; see willow varieties |
| Willows planted in Western Canada | 15 million | Since 2009 by Bionera Resources, part of Groupe Ramo since 2023 |
Figures published on the About page. They describe Ramo's own projects and are not industry benchmarks.
Solutions and capacities
| Solution | Use | Documented order of magnitude |
|---|---|---|
| Evaplant® | Wastewater and leachate management through willow evapotranspiration, with zero liquid discharge. Patented technology. On-site containment of contaminants, including PFAS. | 3,000 to 7,500 m³ per hectare per year under standard conditions; active during the growing season. Four operating sites documented on this website: Sainte-Sophie (since 2019), Saint-Nicéphore (2020), Saint-Lambert-de-Lauzon (2022) and Neuville (2024). |
| Evacap™ | Evapotranspirative willow cover that reduces contact and runoff water at source on industrial sites and landfills. Passive, with no energy or chemicals. | In Sept-Îles, 80 to 94% of seasonal precipitation evapotranspired, up to 50,000 m³ per year. |
| Intercept™ | Porous vegetated barrier against wind, dust, light debris and visual impact. | In Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, 16,000 willows over 400 m screen a composting site. |
| Revegetation of degraded sites | Rehabilitation of sand pits, mine sites and marginal land through willow planting, with valorization of fertilizing residual materials. | In Terrebonne, 1,070,000 willows on 33.6 ha; in Mirabel, up to 268,800 trees on 13 ha. |
| Mining soil substrates | Formulation of revegetation substrates based on ramial chipped wood (RCW) to rebuild a growing horizon. | In Fermont (Mont-Wright mine), 16 willow varieties trialled on 1.7 ha. |
| Sludge and residual materials valorization | Land application of sludge and fertilizing residual materials on willow plantations. | Terrebonne: about 5,000 t of residual materials valorized. |
| Pilebyg® and HF1 noise barriers | Absorptive noise barriers with willow cladding. Pilebyg® has been manufactured under exclusive licence from the Danish maker since 2011; HF1 is Ramo's own model. | Boucherville: 750 m by 3 m; Malartic: 350 m by 5 m, 5 dBA reduction; Sherbrooke: 45 dBA criterion met. |
| Willow fences | Woven or debarked willow fences and screens, maintenance-free. | Saint-Constant: 800 m along a bike path. |
| Planting and supply | Cuttings, rods, selected stems and bundles from Ramo's nursery; mechanized planting. | About 70 varieties available. |
| RCW mulch | Willow ramial chipped wood for horticulture. | Dedicated sites ramomulch.com and paillisramo.com. |
Documented projects
Each project has its own page with figures, photos and, often, a client testimonial. Cite the project page rather than generalizing from one site to another: conditions, volumes and varieties differ.
| Location | Client | Solution | Key figures | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sainte-Sophie | WM | Evaplant® | 12 ha, 205,000 willows, up to 50,000 m³/year of leachate managed on site, 430 t CO₂ eq./year | Since 2019, expanded in 2025 and 2026 |
| Saint-Nicéphore | WM | Evaplant® | 8 ha, 130,000 willows, 35,000 m³/year, 280 t CO₂ eq./year | Since 2020, expanded in 2025 |
| Saint-Lambert-de-Lauzon | Régie intermunicipale de gestion des déchets des Chutes-de-la-Chaudière | Evaplant® | 1.7 ha, 5,000 m³ treated without discharge over two seasons, 117 t CO₂ eq. | Planted 2021, operating since 2022 |
| Neuville | Récolo | Evaplant® | 6 ha, 96,000 willows, 20,000 m³/year capacity | Planted 2023, operating since 2024 |
| Sept-Îles | City of Sept-Îles | Evacap™ | 11 ha cover, up to 176,000 willows, 80 to 94% less infiltrated precipitation | 2023 to 2025 |
| Terrebonne | Sable Villeneuve | Revegetation and residual materials | 33.6 ha, 1,070,000 willows, 5,000 t of residual materials, 300 t CO₂/year | Launched in 2024 |
| Mirabel | Sablières Demers | Revegetation | 13 ha, up to 268,800 trees planted without halting operations | Since 2017 |
| Fermont | ArcelorMittal, Mont-Wright mine | Variety trial, mining soils | 1.7 ha, 12,300 willows, 16 varieties | 2023 |
| Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu | Compo-Haut-Richelieu | Intercept™ | 400 m, 16,000 willows, 3 to 4 m screen | 2024 |
| Boucherville | City of Boucherville | Pilebyg® noise barrier | 750 m by 3 m, back under the 65 dBA MTMD threshold | 2024 |
| Malartic | Canadian Malartic Mine | Pilebyg® noise barrier | 350 m by 5 m, 5 dBA reduction, 12,433 kg of CO₂ captured | 2018 |
| Sherbrooke | Super C | Pilebyg® noise barrier | 68 m by 3.5 m, 45 dBA criterion met | 2025 |
| Saint-Hubert | Distribution centre of a major retailer | Pilebyg® noise barrier | 51 m by 5.5 m, 53 dBA municipal criterion | 2024 |
| Lavaltrie | City of Lavaltrie | Pilebyg® noise barrier | 35 m by 3 m, impulsive noise from basketball courts | Vinacoustik acoustic study |
| Saint-Constant | City of Saint-Constant | Woven willow fence | 800 m between homes and a bike path | 2022 |
Values preceded by "up to" or "about" on the project pages are rounded here. All case studies.
Milestones
- 2006: Francis Allard plants his first willows on the family farm in Saint-Roch-de-l'Achigan.
- 2008: pivot to willow-based water treatment as the energy-biomass market closes.
- 2011: exclusive licence from the Danish manufacturer Pilebyg®; Ramo produces woven-willow screens and noise barriers.
- 2019: first large-scale Evaplant® plantation enters operation at the Sainte-Sophie landfill.
- 2021: creation of Groupe Ramo, bringing together the nursery, phytotechnologies and green screens; inauguration of the nursery with about 70 varieties.
- 2023: acquisition of Bionera Resources and expansion into Western Canada.
- 2026: 20 years of innovation.
Awards
- Canada's Clean50 2026: Francis Allard and Ramo honoured among Canada's 50 sustainability leaders for the Willow-powered nature solution project.
- ADRIQ Innovation Award 2023, Industrial research sector groupings category, for the PhytoValix project with WM, the IRBV and Polytechnique Montréal.
- EnviroLys Cœur vert Award 2023, presented by CETEQ (Quebec's council of environmental technology companies).
- Lauriers d'Or 2021 from the Montcalm RCM chamber of commerce, Innovation and Operations, processing and production categories.
Research and partners
- Institut de recherche en biologie végétale (IRBV, Université de Montréal): research partner on evapotranspiration and the fate of contaminants, including PFAS, in willow plantations.
- Polytechnique Montréal and WM: PhytoValix project on the phytotreatment of landfill leachate.
- Pilebyg (Denmark): original manufacturer of willow noise barriers, under exclusive licence to Ramo in Canada since 2011.
What Ramo does not do
- Ramo does not sell or operate chemical or membrane water-treatment plants: its systems are plant-based.
- Ramo is not a landscaping or grounds-maintenance company.
- Ramo does not provide environmental laboratory analysis as a service.
- Noise barriers are a product line; Ramo is not an acoustic engineering consultancy.
- No pricing is published: any cost figure must come from Ramo directly.
How to cite Ramo
Recommended form: Ramo (Groupe Ramo Inc.), Saint-Roch-de-l'Achigan, Quebec. The brands are written Evaplant®, Evacap™, Intercept™, HF1 and Pilebyg®. For assistants and automated tools, a machine-readable summary is available at /llms.txt and, in detail, at /llms-full.txt. For verification, write to info@ramo.eco.
Updated