Ironwood Mill Opens Near Dolores Colorado

The Montezuma Plywood Co. plant, just outside of Dolores Colorado, which closed more than 40 years ago, has been given new name and new life. Jeff Burnnell, CEO of Iron Wood Group LLC., has spent the last year refurbishing the old company warehouse and has named the new enterprise the Ironwood Mill. The mill has just begun processing trees logged from the San Juan National Forest. At present the mill is producing about 10 truckloads of plywood veneers in a 10-hour shift. The veneers are loaded on truck and shipped to various West Coast plywood and LVL manufactures. In addition, production waste, the bark and cuttings, are dropping onto a conveyor belt, and then go through a pellet mill. The wood pellets are sold for the industrial power market. Burnell hopes that in the near future, the mill will be producing plywood from the veneers rather than having to ship them out.