Aspen Planers Announces Temporary Shutdown at Two Facilities in Nicola Valley, BC

According to the Merritt Herald on Thursday (12-15-22), Aspen Planers, which is locally owned by Surrey-based AP Group, has temporarily shut down their Merritt operations, closing two work sites in the Nicola Valley due to a lack of steady log supply. The closure is currently anticipated to last three weeks, but executives with Aspen Planer say it will ultimatly be the government’s approval of cutting permits and market conditions that will determine the mills’ reopening date.

The issue at hand, according to the AP Group, is a lack of logs. Despite the number of logs that remain sitting at Aspen Planer’s sawmill, logistical issues around supply and finishing abilities means the mill can not operate. The AP Group’s main frustration is the “unnecessarily complicated and opaque” process of obtaining log cutting permits.