Resolute Forest Products Temporarily Closes Four Quebec Sawmills Due to Nearby Wildfires

Resolute Forest Products Inc. has temporarily shut down four Quebec sawmills due to nearby fires and related log shortages, Reuters reported (6-12-23). Resolute Vice President Seth Kursman said workers were digging trenches near the facilities to suppress the fires. Resolute has also paused harvesting activities in areas near the wildfires.

Kursman told Reuters it was premature to say if the company may need to declare force majeure—unexpected circumstances that prevent a business from meeting contract obligations—or could make up the lost production later in the year. The closed mills mainly produce softwood lumber for the North America markets.

According to Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) estimates cited in the report, 2023’s unprecedented Canadian wildfire season has consumed nearly 4 million hectares (9.88 million acres), the equivalent of 1% of all of Canada’s forests.

The wildfires are blazing through the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, and Quebec, but other provinces are reporting wildfire activity as well. FPAC’s CEO Derek Nighbor noted that the wildfires are causing significant downtime, although he could not provide an overall estimate of lost production. “Closing mills and having to restart them is a lot of work and that’s people who have to be laid off temporarily.”