Mill Companies Announce Investments; Acquisitions; Sales 

Precisions Hardwoods Invests In Technology Upgrades 

Located in northern Michigan in the small town of Onaway, Precision Hardwoods is moving ahead on a $12 million expansion project that will boost production from 5 to almost 30MMBFBF annually. The project includes a new mill building, HewSaw small log breakdown system, Nicholson ring debarker and Pendu cut stock line and stacking system.

The project is scheduled for completion in late 2025, and is projected to create up to 25 new jobs. The operation is being supported by a $100,000 grant from the Michigan Dept. of Agriculture & Rural Development (MDARD), plus job creation funding from the Michigan Economic Development Corp. (MEDC). 

Irving Acquires Maine’s Masardis Sawmill

Irving Forest Products, which owns and operates wood processing facilities in Maine and New York, is purchasing the Masardis Sawmill in Masardis, Maine. The Masardis operation has a long history of producing random length spruce and fir lumber, with 115MMBF annual capacity. With the addition of the Masardis operation, J.D. Irving, Limited now operates 10 sawmills as part of its solid wood operations, with a total annual capacity of 1.3 billion BF.

Allegheny WP Begins Selling Hardwod Mills

Allegheny Wood Products (AWP) of Petersburg, W. Va., once one of the largest producers of Eastern U.S. hardwoods, is selling its sawmills and kilns through a court-appointed receiver. Facilities for sale include operations at Kingwood, Cowen, Jacksonburg, Beckley and Princeton, W. Va. and Marble, Pa. At one time AWP operated 13 production facilities with 160MMBF capacity, employed more than 800 and exported to 20 countries. However, citing market conditions, company officials closed mills in early 2024, and the company was placed in receivership in March 2024.