Sawmill Closure

[GordonH]

This time Canfor due west of PG, from satellite it looks like fair size mill.

https://www.castanet.net/news/BC/300525 ... re-sawmill

[seewood]

Likely not the last mill shut down as log supply dwindles.
Canfor's Vanderhoof operation will likely take up the lost production with Isle Pierre's logs now going to Plateau.
Side effect of curtailed production is lack of chips for pulp mills.

[Babba_not_Gump]

This part of the central interior was hit hard by the mountain pine beetle, then got additional blows from the resulting fires over the past four summers.
To be honest, I'm surprised the Isle Pierre mill lasted this long.

About thirty years ago we were chasing green and red attack pine all through that area, mainly SW of PG. It was a non-stop battle which the beetles eventually won.

In the very early 90s I told me boss, a VP who lived on the coast, about the potential threat the mpb was to the province, in particular where we logged. He pretty well called me am idiot.

Thankfully all that crap is behind me and now it's someone else's problem.

[Hurtlander]

Likely not the last mill shut down as log supply dwindles.
Canfor's Vanderhoof operation will likely take up the lost production with Isle Pierre's logs now going to Plateau.
Side effect of curtailed production is lack of chips for pulp mills.

I understand that the Canfor Houston mill might have some upgrades in the near future. That mil has a decent fibre mix and isn’t limited to just being a super output stud mill. Plus Jimmy P just built a new grocery store in Houston..

[Hurtlander]

Here’s an example as to how stupid the Horgan government is... The Celgar pulp mill in Castlegar is having to close for at least the month of July because they’ve run out of sawdust and chips because of sawmill closures, Celgar was able to produce most of their own chips and sawdust with whole-log-chippers, up until the stupid Horgan government starting charging sawlog stumpage fees for pulp logs.. There was a time in this province when the NDP used to fight for the forest industry, sadly they no longer do that.

https://www.pulpandpapercanada.com/merc ... pulp-mill/

[Babba_not_Gump]

Here’s an example as to how stupid the Horgan government is... The Celgar pulp mill in Castlegar is having to close for at least the month of July because they’ve run out of sawdust and chips because of sawmill closures, Celgar was able to produce most of their own chips and sawdust with whole-log-chippers, up until the stupid Horgan government starting charging sawlog stumpage fees for pulp logs.. There was a time in this province when the NDP used to fight for the forest industry, sadly they no longer do that.

https://www.pulpandpapercanada.com/merc ... pulp-mill/

Jacking up pulpwood stumpage rates to sawlog equivalent is simply killing the goose that lays the golden egg. But then everyone is aware that the NDP aren't known for their economic skills.

I've been out of the forest industry for a few years, but at one time pulpwood stumpage was charged at $.25/m3.

[occasional thoughts]

Economics. Free enterprise. Economies of scale. Leads to sad but true results. Although I'm interested in that story of a few days ago about China finding pests in our raw logs. Why the hell are we still exporting raw logs to another labour market

[Terris]

Economics. Free enterprise. Economies of scale. Leads to sad but true results. Although I'm interested in that story of a few days ago about China finding pests in our raw logs. Why the hell are we still exporting raw logs to another labour market

They were doing this back in the 90's already, when I was log scaling on the coast.

Loopholes galore...

The American based company I worked for business name removed had several logging tenures up and down the coast and a pole plant in New Westminster where they "upscaled "raw logs.

Lots of raw D, E & F grade red cedar, fir, spruce, Hemlock (yes, I said hemlock) and cypress got upscaled, turned into poles (lightly debarked, cut to length, and hammer stamped) then exported. The remainder was sold to the nearby mills.

We sent many railcars of these logs down to Tacoma and then on to Japan and beyond ...

[GordonH]

bumped up

Another mill closure, this time in 100 Mile House.
https://www.castanet.net/news/BC/315555 ... ermanently

[Bsuds]

bumped up

Another mill closure, this time in 100 Mile House.
https://www.castanet.net/news/BC/315555 ... ermanently

That sucks. I know several people who worked there.

[Glacier]

bumped up

Another mill closure, this time in 100 Mile House.
https://www.castanet.net/news/BC/315555 ... ermanently

I went to the hardware store the other day and asked for a sheet of OSB, and they said, "sorry, but we are completely sold out, and even if we had any in, the price has almost tripled in the past 6 months because there's no supply."

Thank you NDP?

[AlienSoldier]

I don't know anything about logging am wondering how these places can be closing when the price of lumber sky rocketed this year. I thought it would have helped open mills not the opposite.

[seewood]

I don't know anything about logging am wondering how these places can be closing when the price of lumber sky rocketed this year. I thought it would have helped open mills not the opposite.

Sawmills that have access to a sustained source of logs are or were running full tilt.
What has happened is the Mt. Pine Beatle and recent forest fires has decimated the log supply in many areas to a point the remaining log supply can only provide for a reduced number of mills.
What were once waste logs only suitable for firewood are now a commodity for pellets. Sawmill chips were going to pulp mills and the OSB plants, now the pellets want some.
This mill makes OSB, made with glue like resins and wood chips. Many of those chips came from sawmills as a waste product, however with a reduced number of mills running and then chip production being reduced many wood by-product materials are going by the wayside.
If deciduous trees like Aspen can be used, perhaps that may be an option going forward.

[AlienSoldier]

I don't know anything about logging am wondering how these places can be closing when the price of lumber sky rocketed this year. I thought it would have helped open mills not the opposite.

Sawmills that have access to a sustained source of logs are or were running full tilt.
What has happened is the Mt. Pine Beatle and recent forest fires has decimated the log supply in many areas to a point the remaining log supply can only provide for a reduced number of mills.
What were once waste logs only suitable for firewood are now a commodity for pellets. Sawmill chips were going to pulp mills and the OSB plants, now the pellets want some.
This mill makes OSB, made with glue like resins and wood chips. Many of those chips came from sawmills as a waste product, however with a reduced number of mills running and then chip production being reduced many wood by-product materials are going by the wayside.
If deciduous trees like Aspen can be used, perhaps that may be an option going forward.

This makes so much more sense to me now! Its a breakdown of the supply chain/resource that is causing this more than market demans.

[smoky500]

as to firewood/waste wood, it is criminal what gets burned in the slash piles they leave behind when they finish logging. I know that from one clear cut a fellow who sells firewood took 80 cords (so he claims, I know he took a lot from what I saw) from slash piles two years ago and I got 2 yrs worth of firewood from the same area before they burned them. I know you are not supposed to take wood from those piles, but if I don't get my wood from there I just have to go cut down more trees. And don't go on about using other sources for heat, I don't have much choice where I live.