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Canfor’s B.C. sawmills shutting down for another 2-6 weeks

All but one curtailing production due to poor lumber economics
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Log stockpiles like this one at a Canfor a sawmill in Prince George have diminished due to reduced harvest. (Canfor)

Canfor Corp. has announced additional temporary shutdowns of its B.C. sawmills, starting in mid-June.

Canfor announced Monday it is shutting down all B.C. sawmills due to “very poor lumber markets and the high cost of fibre.” The longest is at Mackenzie, which will be down for six weeks.

Sawmills at Houston and Vanderhoof are being shut down for four weeks, and mills at Fort St. John, Chetwynd, Bear Lake, Prince George, Radium Hot Springs and Elko. The only sawmill to avoid a temporary shutdown is WynnWood, at Wyndell in the Creston Valley.

RELATED: 172 jobs lost as Canfor closes Vavenby sawmill

Canfor announced the permanent closure of its Vavenby sawmill last week, citing the same poor market conditions. The closure takes effect in July, with the loss of 172 jobs. The latest temporary shutdowns go from June 17 through July 26, intended to cut production by 200 million board feet across Canfor’s B.C.’s operations.

Canfor also operates pellet plants in Houston, Chetwynd and Fort St. John that use waste wood from sawmills.

B.C. Interior sawmills have lost log supply in the wake of the mountain pine beetle epidemic, and continue to be subject to import duties imposed by the U.S. government.


@tomfletcherbc
tfletcher@blackpress.ca

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