British Columbia’s Houston Today newspaper reported Wednesday that layoff notices have gone out and the last log is set to be processed at Canfor’s Houston, BC, sawmill on March 31st. The move sets into motion the phasing out of the Houston sawmill facility originally announced by Canfor in late January.
News in mill capacity changes
Mercer International Shortens Celgar Pulp Mill Downtime
According to local reporting by My Kootenay Now, Mercer International has shortened the scheduled shutdown of its Celgar pulp mill located in Castlegar, British Columbia. Due to a fiber shortage, the company previously said it would shut down the mill for three weeks, beginning March 7th.
Resolute Forest Products to Temporarily Suspend Operations at Its Saint-Thomas-Didyme, Quebec, Facility
As reported in Le Nouvelles Hebdo, Resolute Forest Products Inc. announced Monday that it has temporarily suspended operations at its Saint-Thomas-Didyme, Quebec, facility until June 11th due to a lack of fiber.
Tolko to Resume Production at Two BC Sawmills, Armstrong and Soda Creek, on March 6th
Tolko Industries plans to resume production at its curtailed Armstrong and Soda Creek sawmill facilities—both in British Columbia—on March 6th, according to local reporting by Castanet (3-2-23).
Canfor Does Not See a Viable Path for Reopening Taylor Pulp Mill
Curtailed since December 2021, the future of Canfor’s Taylor Pulp Mill became even more uncertain with the company’s release of its Q4 earnings report on Tuesday (2-28-23), according to reporting by Energeticcity.
Egger Investing $42 Million in Its Lexington, North Carolina, Facility
According to reporting by Woodworking Network, Egger has announced that it had recently started production on a third lamination line at its Lexington, North Carolina, facility. Egger will also install a decorative paper impregnation line.
Conifex Timber to Temporarily Curtail Production at Its Mackenzie, BC, Sawmill Due to Rail Service Challenges
Conifex Timber announced on Friday that it will be temporarily curtailing production at its Mackenzie, British Columbia, sawmill for a period of up to two weeks. The company cited unsustainable inventory levels due to rail transportation challenges.
Fire Temporarily Closes Evergreen Forest Products’ New Meadows, Idaho, Sawmill
A fire last Monday in the main sawmill building at Evergreen Forest Products—also known as Tamarack Forest Products—south of New Meadows, Idaho, has forced the mill to temporarily close, according to the Lewiston Tribune.
Sierra Pacific Industries Announces Significant Investment at Its Eugene, Oregon, Manufacturing Facility
Sierra Pacific Industries announced Friday that it plans to make a significant investment at their Eugene, Oregon, manufacturing facility. The company is building a new cutting mill and state-of-the-art stud mill to replace the existing facilities.
Canfor Resumes Production at its Houston, BC, Sawmill, but Temporary Shutdown Still Scheduled for April
Canfor’s Houston, BC, sawmill facility resumed full production on February 6th, the Houston Today reported on Wednesday. The restart follows the completion of repairs to a computer room that controls the operations of the trimmer saws, which was damaged by a fire on January 22nd.