June 2026

This issue provides the results of our annual U.S. Sawmill Operations & Capital Expenditure Survey for the softwood lumber and hardwood lumber sectors. The sawmillers who respond, mostly owners and managers, are given the option of providing their names and companies or just being anonymous. We of course prefer that they give us their names because we like to use some of the comments they give us, and a good comment has more punch when it’s accompanied by an actual name.

Obviously I recognize a lot of their names, and one of those was Alden Robbins, co-owner and vice president-sales, of Robbins Lumber based in Searsmont, Maine. We’ve visited and written many articles on Robbins Lumber through the years, most recently in late 2023, featuring the fifth generation of ownership of the 145-year-old lumber business. I also remember an article we did on Robbins Lumber in 1993 as part of our American Sawmill Series. They’ve always made for a great story, because their operation at Searsmont has always had a lot going on, from basic lumber manufacturing to value-added lumber to shavings baggings to cogeneration and selling excess power to the public utility. They also operate a couple of other smaller sawmills in the region.

Around lunch time on Friday, May 15, I was reading through several of the survey responses, including that of Alden Robbins, who has always responded to the survey and never been shy about adding some comments, which are always very insightful. Alden is a co-owner along with his brother Jim and sister Catherine, having purchased the business from the preceding generation of Robbins— Jim and Jenness (who passed away in 2024).

It was a couple of hours later on May 15 when I heard that on that same morning, a fire and explosion in the silo area had turned Robbins Lumber in Searsmont into a scene of tragedy. It killed a 27-year-old fireman, injured eight firefighters and first responders, sent Alden and Jim Robbins to the burn center at Massachusetts General Hospital, and also sent Alden’s daughter, Lily Robbins, to the burn center, as she was on site as an EMS volunteer, and also injured two other Robbins employees.

Robbins Lumber released a statement, which included the status of the Robbins family members: “They have a long road to recovery ahead, but they are in the very best hands, and we look forward to their return.”

The statement expressed their deep sorrow over the loss of the fireman, and their appreciation for the immediate response from 299 firefighters and 46 fire departments.

Another report said Robbins Lumber would not lay off workers and intended to resume production soon, as photos appeared to show the main lumber production lines intact.

The fire incident was still under major investigation, involving the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and heavy machinery had begun clearing through the debris.

While this issue of Timber Processing focuses on the nuts and bolts of lumber production and lumber markets, sawmill operators know all too well that danger is always lurking nearby in a sawmill environment.

We wish the best of health to the Robbins family members and all of the injured personnel, and we look forward to watching Robbins Lumber progress from the fifth generation to the sixth generation.