West Fraser Puts Leola Sawmill On Hold
West Fraser announced that it will indefinitely curtail its Huguley oriented strandboard (OSB) mill in Lanett, Ala. and sawmill in Leola, Ark. These curtailments are expected to take effect in the fourth quarter following orderly wind-downs.
These decisions are the result of continued weakness in demand for wood products used in new home construction and repair and renovation applications, according to the company. These actions are expected to reduce West Fraser’s OSB capacity by 500MMSF and southern yellow pine lumber capacity by 225MMBF on an annual basis.
“Over the last quarter, housing affordability continued to be a key constraint for wood products demand, which remains soft,” says Sean McLaren, West Fraser President and CEO. “We were also impacted by higher energy-related input costs. Our teams responded by running mills to demand, reducing inventory and controlling costs.
“Decisions like this are never easy because of the impact they have on our employees, their families and the communities where we operate. We are grateful for their hard work and contributions, and we are committed to supporting them through this transition.”
Latest News
Beck Group, Forest2Market Announce Sawmill TQ Service For Southern Sawmills
The Beck Group (Beck) and Forest2Market, Inc. recently announced a partnership to launch Sawmill TQ (Top Quartile), a new service for gathering and delivering Southern Yellow Pine sawmill benchmark data to industry members. The partnership…
Maine’s Pleasant River Lumber Awarded Grant; Will Expand Two Sawmills
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-1548381510056-0’); }); The Maine Technology Institute (MTI) recently awarded a $4,226,000 challenge grant from the Maine Technology Asset Fund 2.0 program to the Pleasant River Lumber Company. The $4.2 million will be used…
British Columbia Softwood Lumber Exports To U.S. Plunge 20 Percent
Softwood lumber exports from British Columbia to the U.S. have fallen 20 percent from last March, according to the Canadian federal government. British Columbia – Canada’s largest lumber-producing province – exported just over 514 million…
Alabama’s Westervelt Company Plans New Sawmill
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-1548381510056-0’); }); A 130-year-old Tuscaloosa company is preparing to build a new lumber mill in south Alabama, which is expected to create more than 100 jobs and produce 250 million board feet of…
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.