Western Forest Products (WFP) has confirmed that their Chemainus Sawmill is under a production curtailment. When at full production, the mill operates with two full shifts, and neither shift is currently working. No timetable as to when the mill might resume operations has been provided at this time.
News in mill capacity changes
Georgia-Pacific Announces $20 Million Investment in Alcolu, South Carolina OSB Mill
Georgia-Pacific has announced that it will be investing $20 million in its Alcolu, South Carolina OSB mill. The project’s focus will be to add on a third strander onto the facility. A strander is on the green-end of the facility, or where the logs enter the process. Once the logs are debarked, they go into the strander, which processes the wooden flakes used in the OSB process.
Western Forest Products Contemplating Operations Curtailment at its Chemainus Sawmill Starting Next Week Due to Log Shortage
In an email statement sent to CHEK (B.C.’s private television station) by a company spokesperson, Western Forest Products is considering curtailing operations at its Chemainus sawmill starting next week due to a log shortage. The email said that “Due to log supply challenges, we anticipate it may be necessary to temporarily curtail operations beginning sometime next week at our Chemainus sawmill.”
Saskatchewan Forest Industry to Benefit from British Columbia’s Reduced Timber Basket
Despite its vast and mature forests, Saskatchewan forestlands have been under-utilized. That is until now. Over the past several weeks, the province has announced a reallocation of its forest resources, primarily located north of Saskatoon, and that will result in sizeable forest industry investments. Those forestland reallocations are expected, over the next two years, to lead to over a $1 billion dollars (CAD) in new investments in Saskatchewan’s forest industry.
Teal Jones to Build New Sawmill Facility in Bossier Parish, Louisiana
Teal Jones, a 70-year-old, family-owned company based in British Columbia, Canada, today announced that the company is looking forward to bringing a $110.5 million Southern Yellow Pine lumber mill to Bossier Parish, Louisiana. To become a reality, the company is pursuing a payment in lieu of taxes agreement with local taxing entities. Teal Jones expects to source southern yellow pine timber from their landowner partners in this project, as well as other regional suppliers.
Canfor Corporation Announces Purchase of Millar Western Forest Products’ Alberta Assets
Canfor Corporation on Thursday (12-16-21) announced it has entered into an agreement with Millar Western Forest Products Ltd. to acquire the Millar’s solid wood operations located in Alberta, Canada, and associated tenure for $420 million (CAD), which includes $56 million in working capital. Millar Western’s solid wood operations will add 630 million board feet of production capacity.
Bid Group Announces Investment to Expand Mirabel, Quebec Facility
Bid Group has announced that it plans to invest over $1.5 million (CAD) at its existing facility in Mirabel, Quebec, Canada. The investment will grow the company’s production capacity by over 50% and will add 5,000 square feet to its existing footprint. Construction is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2022.
Timberline Announces $63 Million Investment in Bell Bay Operation
Timberlink, one of Australia’s leading national timber manufactures and distributors, has announced that it is investing $63 million (AUD) in its Bell Bay operation as part of a plan to substantially increase its structural timber output. When completed the project is expected to increase the timber manufactured at the site by more than 50 percent, providing material for an estimated 7000 new houses.
PacBio to Close Wood Pellet Plant in Prince George, BC
Pacific BioEnergy Corporation (PacBio) announced today (12-15-21) that it intends to permanently close their wood pellet plant located in Prince George, B.C. The company says that after satisfying certain closing conditions, which is expected by the end of 2021, certain assets owned by PacBio will be assigned to Pinnacle Renewable Energy Inc. (part of the Drax Group).
Resolute Forest Products Expands Operations at Two Arkansas Sawmills
With the acquisition of two sawmills in 2020 — in El Dorado and Glenwood, Arkansas — Resolute Forest Products has invested through a combined capital program over $28 million and added more than 160 new jobs over the past two years.