Besse Forest Products Group Closes Six Sawmills and Veneer Mills in Michigan and Wisconsin

Besse Forest Products Group, a longtime leader in Northern hardwood veneer, lumber, and specialty plywood manufacturing, has closed six of its green lumber sawmills and veneer mills in Wisconsin and Michigan. The facilities are now up for sale.

HyperAms, one of the companies facilitating the sale, said the closures mark a significant shift for the forest products industry in the Midwest.

On September 6th, the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan entered an order appointing Timothy Turek as receiver for all assets of Besse Forest Products, Inc., BFP Management, Inc., Wisconsin Veneer & Plywood, Inc, Northern Michigan Veneers, Inc., and Besse Wood Products, Inc (collectively, Besse Forest Products Group). The receiver has engaged a joint venture comprised of HyperAMS, LLC and James G. Murphy Co to assist in selling all the company’s owned real and personal property.

The operations were integral to the production of materials used worldwide in cabinets, flooring, furniture, and more. The real estate at four Wisconsin sites (Ladysmith, Goodman, Mattoon, and Rice Lake) is owned and will be included in the sale, while the facilities in Gladstone and Baraga, Michigan, are leased.

If no buyers secure the entire operation by October 31, the assets will be sold off in pieces starting in November. Turnkey buyers can submit bids on single, multiple, or all facilities.