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
New York’s Baillie Lumber Co. Acquires J.T. Shannon Lumber Division, Sawmill
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-1548381510056-0’); }); J.T. Shannon Lumber completed a going concern sale of its Superior Hardwoods division, including its state-of-the-art sawmill located in Montezuma, IN, to Hamburg, NY-based Baillie Lumber. Equity Partners HG and Bengur…
Trade Jitters Made Lumber February’s Best-Performing Commodity
Lumber futures scored the biggest gain among major commodities for the month of February, as Donald Trump’s first full month as U.S. President fed uncertainty surrounding the nation’s lumber trade dispute with Canada. Random length…
Hatton-Brown Partners With Wood Industry Summit At Ligna
Hall 26 will once again be home to the Wood Industry Summit during Ligna 2017 in Hannover, Germany and Hatton-Brown Publishers is once again an official partner of the event. Hatton-Brown Publishers is affiliated with…
U.S. Lumber Prices Soar, Creating Huge Uncertainties
The U.S. lumber markets are already seeing some major price volatility, where W-SPF lumber prices soared by a whopping 25% (US$78/Mbf) in the three-week period between January 27 and February 17, 2017 and up US$83/Mbf…
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.