More bad news for the Canadian timber industry as West Fraser Timber Co Ltd, Canfor and Tembec announce production curtailments in the country.
West Fraser is to curtail production at five of its sawmills in British Columbia (BC), starting with a week-long shutdown from February 9, before temporarily reducing working weeks at those still operating on a full-time basis.
Reduced work weeks are expected to shave an annual 446 million board feet off production levels, with the five facilities currently producing 25 million board feet a week.
Canfor is cutting production at three of its sawmills in Canada. A two-week curtailment, also starting on February 9, will reduce production by 83 million board feet at its BC and Alberta sites. And from February 23, it will drop the third shift at its Quesnel operation, cutting its annual production by a further 100 million board feet.
Tembec has announced prolonged downtime of eight weeks at its Canal Flats and Elko sawmills in BC, which will also apply to its Cranbrook fingerjointing facility. This is coupled with a six-week layoff at its Hearst sawmill in Ontario.
Both West Fraser and Canfor are also planning cutbacks in the US, with West Fraser’s curtailments amounting to 20 million board feet at several of its sawmills in the south, and Canfor cutting a shift at New South’s Camden sawmill in South Carolina to reduce annual production of southern yellow pine by around 75 million board feet.
