Aspen Planers Halts Production at Merritt, BC, Sawmill and Lillooet Veneer Plant

Aspen Planers has halted operations at its Merritt, BC, sawmill and planer facility for an undetermined period, citing a lack of logs and rising costs of doing business, the Merritt Herald reported (9-23-25).

“Simply put, our mill lacks logs,” said regional manager Surinder Momrath. He added that Aspen Planers’ Lillooet veneer plant has also curtailed operations for the same reason, noting the two closures are linked because logs are sourced from both Merritt and Lillooet forest licenses. Saw logs are processed in Merritt, while plywood “peeler” logs are processed in Lillooet.

The company pointed to an inability to obtain cutting permits under its Annual Allowable Cut (AAC) from the Ministry of Forests. Aspen Planers’ licenses provide for 490,000 m³, but over the past two and a half years the company has harvested only 29% of that amount. Cutting permit approvals averaged 115,000 m³ per year—just 23% of the AAC.

According to Momrath, BC has “plenty of timber available for harvesting,” but log harvesting across the province is at 60% of the sustainable AAC—the lowest level since the 1960s. He also cited high stumpage fees as a major factor, noting that fees charged in BC are roughly ten times higher than in Alberta, where mills continue to run at full capacity.