Oregon’s Mary’s River Lumber Company Closes

Mary’s River Lumber Co., which had 80 workers at a cedar sawmill in Philomath and a finishing plant in Corvallis, has ceased operations after 42 years. The closure came on Monday because of difficulties in finding suitable cedar logs, primarily due to harvest restrictions in public forests, said Brad Kirkbride, Mary’s River Lumber Co. president.

“It’s a sad moment, but there comes a point where with this extreme shortage of logs, you just don’t see a future,” he added. “We fought this thing for a long time trying to keep the business open. This is a situation where it isn’t going to get any better. It’s been rough.”

The business will continue to operate in a limited capacity to finish and sell the rest of its inventory, which should take four to five months, and actively market its facilities for sale, Kirkbride said. For the time being, about 45 employees in Benton County have been retained. He would love to see someone acquire the local facilities and keep them running. “Likely, that would mean a different tree species,” Kirkbride said.

Mary’s River Lumber Co. also has two plants in Washington — in Montesano and Bow — that combined employ abut 130 workers. The company primarily produces siding, decking and boards for trim.

Kirkbride said that, along with very restricted harvests on federal and state lands in Oregon and Washington, private landowners generally don’t replant cedar, and target Douglas fir instead, as most mills in the area make framing lumber.

From The Philomath Express: gazettetimes.com/philomathexpress.