Nova Scotia Sawmill Industry Dealt Another Blow with the COVID-19 Pandemic

Nova Scotia’s sawmill industry was already suffering due to the closure of the Northern Pulp factory when the COVID-19 pandemic arrived. The pulp mill closed on 1-31-20, after the province rejected the mill’s request to continue pumping treated effluent into a lagoon behind a Mi’kmaq community. The pulp mill had purchased wood chips the mainland Nova Scotia sawmills produced as a byproduct of their lumber production. The mills say they are struggling to find alternative markets for their chips since the pulps mills closure. The global COVID-19 pandemic is combining with the challenges of depressed prices for some forestry products and no place to sell chips to create the ‘perfect storm’ for Nova Scotia’s sawmills.  As a result, several producers have decided to cease purchasing additional supplies of new logs effective 3-30-20. They intended to run until their current log deck is depleted and they will the weight their future production at that time.