Maine’s Katahdin Forest Products Mulls Sawmill Expansion
Katahdin Forest Products, the Oakfield-based maker of cedar log homes, is considering expanding its sawmill in Ashland at the same time that a lumber dispute between the U.S. and Canada leaves a cloud of uncertainty over the market.
Amid ongoing growth in sales of log homes and fences, Katahdin Forest Products is looking at the possibility of “a significant expansion” at its Ashland mill, according to David Gordon, the company’s president.
The potential expansion would rely on electricity purchased directly from the nearby ReEnergy biomass power plant at favorable rates and could roughly triple the mill’s employment, Gordon said.
Katahdin Forest Products, best known for its cedar log homes, purchased and restarted a softwood sawmill in Ashland in 2009 and has since invested about $200,000 and brought the number of workers to 11, Gordon said. The company has long had two sawmills in Oakfield, near major stands of cedar in southern Aroostook County, and decided to buy the Ashland mill close to cedar stands in the North Maine Woods, Gordon said.
The company’s cedar sawmill is now one of 11 forest product companies in greater Ashland, including Moosewood Millworks, EcoShel, Northeast Pellets, ReEnergy and the two large lumber mills, Maibec and JD Irving. If the potential expansion goes forward, employment at the Ashland mill could grow to 30 to 35 workers, Gordon said.
From the Bangor Daily News: bangordailynews.com.
Latest News
Wood Fiber Group Is Now Burton Mill Solutions
Burton Mill Solutions is the new name for the Wood Fiber Group and combines the biggest names in sawmill cutting tools and filing room automation technology, including Simonds International, Burton Saw & Supply, BGR Saws, Cut Technologies, U.S. Blades, Armstrong, and Wright Machines…
U.S. Housing Starts Take Another Dip, Single-Family Declines For Fifth Straight Month
U.S. housing starts, both single-family and multi-family, took a hard hit in July, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development monthly new residential construction report…
New Cleereman Optimized Edger Hits The Mark
Cleereman Industries/Cleereman Controls, which introduced their edger line in the spring of 2021, reports the installation of seven edgers and has sold more than 30. Jay Glime of G&G Lumber in Florence, Wis. and Jon Ritcher of Shamco Lumber in Iron River, Mich. both replaced existing manual edgers with Cleereman optimized edgers. Both of these mills average more than 40MBF per day with Cleereman optimized carriage lines…
Mercer Purchases Germany’s HIT
Mercer International Inc. has entered into an agreement to acquire all of the outstanding shares of the parent company of HIT (Holz Industrie Torgau) for €270 million. HIT owns, among other things, 100% of a timber processing and value-add pallet production facility in Torgau, Germany and a wood processing facility in Dahlen, Germany that produces garden products…
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.