Interfor To Shut Down Two Washington Operations Citing Market Conditions
Citing tough market conditions and a challenging fiber supply, Interfor announced Tuesday that it will curtail operations at its Beaver sawmill and at its planer in Forks. The Beaver operation will wrap at the end of the day Friday. Interfor’s planer in Forks, which works hand-in-hand with the sawmill, will run for an additional seven to 10 business days to process remaining inventories before shutting down as well.
The shutdown affects 52 employees at the Beaver sawmill and another 38 workers in Forks. The shutdown is temporary, the company said, without providing a date for resuming operations. The shutdown will remain in effect indefinitely until market conditions change, company officials said.
“Our Olympic Peninsula operations have been caught between difficult market conditions and a challenging fiber supply that is further aggravated by the impacts from log exports,” said Steve Kroll, Interfor’s general manager for Washington operations. “The mill at Beaver has been particularly hard hit and has been running on a 40-hour-per-week schedule, which is difficult to maintain,” Kroll said.
Karen Brandt, director of public affairs for Interfor Corp. in Vancouver, B.C., said the company will continue to monitor market conditions and restart its West End operations “when it’s feasible.” Interfor’s West End operations were curtailed for about a month last year for the same market-driven reasons, Brandt said.
The company will continue to operate the Interfor Pacific mill west of Port Angeles, which employs about 120. “Port Angeles will continue to run as is right now,” Brandt said.
From the Peninsula Daily News: peninsuladailynews.com.
RELATED ARTICLES
Interfor Purchases Four Sawmills From GP
Interfor Is Purchasing WestRock Summerville Sawmill
Interfor Lays Off Gilchrist Staff
Latest News
Hancock Lumber To Acquire Massachusetts Lumberyard
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-1548381510056-0’); }); Hancock Lumber has announced plans to acquire Johnson Lumber, a single-location lumberyard located in Salisbury, Mass. The transaction is expected to close on May 31, with the location officially beginning operations…
Glen Duysen, 96, Remembered For Always Stepping Up
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-1548381510056-0’); }); Glen H. Duysen, co-founder of Sierra Forest Products, and a leader in the Western timber industry, died February 7. He was 96. Duysen was a past president of the Western Timber…
SFPA Announces 2024 Safety Award Winners
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-1548381510056-0’); }); Southern Forest Products Assn. (SFPA) announced the recipients of the John Edgar Rhodes 2024 Sawmill Safety Excellence Awards, which embody the impact, dedication, and legacy of the association’s founding leader, John…
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.