Recently Reopened BC Sawmill Forced To Close
A northwestern British Columbia sawmill has shut down after only a few months of it’s reopening, due to a rapid decline in lumber demand.
The Kitwanga Sawmill near Hazelton reopened July 8, 2011 with optimism that the B.C. forest sector was rebounding from a steep downturn, but mill owner Pacific Bioenergy announced recently that they have temporary shut down because of market events that were completely unforeseen when they started up this summer. The mill’s 45 employees and staff have been laid off temporarily.
Lumber prices have tumbled from a high in the $300 US range for 1,000 board feet in early 2011 to $229 US, which is below break-even for all but a handful of B.C. mills.
“We started the mill in the early summer period. All the experts leading up to that period in time were predicting stronger market outlooks,” said Wayne Young, Pacific Bioenergy’s president. Young also said the company is looking into options such as custom cutting lumber to keep the mill running until prices improve for commodity lumber. Pacific Bioenergy also has plans to build a pellet plant at Kitwanga.
Latest News
700MMBF, 3 Million Tons, Is It Real?
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-1548381510056-0’); }); Article by Rich Donnell, Editor-in-Chief, Timber Processing 2013 Austria’s Klausner has created a buzz with its plans to build at least two, and probably three, giant southern pine sawmills. Each project…
New Southern Pine Lumber Design Values Approved
On January 31, the American Lumber Standards Committee (ALSC) Board of Review unanimously approved the new southern pine design values previously submitted by the Southern Pine Inspection Bureau (SPIB). The new values were rescheduled for…
Huge South Carolina Lumber Mill Could Start Up This Year
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-1548381510056-0’); }); Klausner Holding USA’s plans to construct a large lumber mill in Rowesville are taking a little longer to come to fruition than elsewhere, but officials say the project is still under…
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.