Western Forest Products Completes Kiln Upgrade at Its Saltair Sawmill in BC; Announces Additional $35 Million Investment in BC
On Monday, Western Forest Products (WFP) announced that it has completed the installation of a continuous dry kiln at its Saltair Sawmill in Ladysmith, BC. The company also plans to continue accelerating its transition to higher-value products with approximately $35 million (CAD) of investments for two additional continuous dry kilns.
According to the press release, the $12 million (CAD) investment at Saltair increases the mill’s capacity for continuous drying of lumber, and also provides environmental benefits by reducing energy consumption. The new kiln adds to the three existing kilns on site. The new kiln follows previous multi-phase strategic capital investments of over $42 million to modernize the sawmill since 2013.
Looking ahead, WFP has plans for two additional kilns. One of the kilns will be constructed at the Duke Point Sawmill in Nanaimo, BC and the other at the Value-Added Division in Chemainus, BC. Each of the new kilns will have an annual capacity of approximately 70 million board feet. The additional capacity will support increased volumes of kiln dried products, including lumber used to produce glued laminated timber for mass timber applications. The two new kilns are slated to be completed over 2024 and 2025.
Background
Since 2022, Western has made significant investments in its BC manufacturing operations to modernize its primary manufacturing facilities, increase kiln drying and planing capacity, and expand its engineered wood products and remanufacturing capacity. The $35 million investment in two new kilns is on top of $29 million announced in 2022. The previously announced projects are in various stages, with the company most recently having completed the installation of a machine stress rated lumber grader at its Duke Point Sawmill to support increased production of higher-value lumber destined for mass timber applications. All remaining projects are expected to be completed by mid-2024.
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