Besse Forest Products Closes Three Veneer, Lumber Operations
Officials with Michigan-based Besse Forest Products recently announced the closure of three plants in Wisconsin that will result in more than 130 employees being laid off. The mills affected are Goodman Veneer and Lumber, Goodman, Wis., 48 employees and a sawmill that dates to 1909; Wisconsin Veneer and Plywood, Mattoon, Wis., 42 employees; Birchwood Manufacturing, Rice Lake, Wis., 46 employees.
The move comes after Besse Forest Products was sold to the Florida-based Hoffmann Family of Companies private equity firm in March 2024, and the company seeks to lower costs across its 10 newly acquired production facilities. Officials with Besse Forest Products said the closures were “due to an unprecedented industry downturn.”
Latest News
Structurlam Temporarily Suspends Arkansas Operations
Structurlam Mass Timber Corp., a mass timber manufacturer in North America, has announced it is temporarily suspending operations and reducing staff at its Conway, Ark., plant due to a customer contract cancellation…
Vaagen Puts Emphasis On Midway Closure
Vaagen Fibre Canada (an affiliate of Vaagen Brothers Lumber) announced it is shutting down its Midway, BC sawmill indefinitely, while indicating it is looking for solutions to keep the operation going, and encouraging those impacted throughout the Boundary, West Kootenay, and Okanagan regions to appeal to the Ministry of Forests…
U.S. Housing Starts Dipped Slightly In 2022
U.S. housing starts for 2022 came in at 1.553 million units, down 3% from 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development monthly new residential construction report. Single-family starts took the biggest hit, down 10.6% to 1.007 million, while multi-family (five units or more) increased 14.5% to 528.9 million…
Biochar Plant Nears Completion
Standard Biocarbon Corp. is building a biochar plant in Enfield, Maine, on a two-acre parcel purchased from adjacent Pleasant River Lumber, whose sawmill will provide chips for the biochar operation. Foundations for the prefabricated building were raised in early January and a shipment of machinery arrived just before Christmas…
Find Us On Social
Newsletter
The monthly Timber Processing Industry Newsletter reaches over 4,000 mill owners and supervisors.
Subscribe/Renew
Timber Processing is delivered 10 times per year to subscribers who represent sawmill ownership, management and supervisory personnel and corporate executives. Subscriptions are FREE to qualified individuals.
Advertise
Complete the online form so we can direct you to the appropriate Sales Representative.