It’s yet another blow to British Columbia’s flagging forestry sector.
Canfor has announced what it’s calling significant curtailments at all of its B.C. sawmills, save one.
The forestry firm says the majority of mills will be down for two weeks or the equivalent, but workers at its Houston operation and Plateau mill near Vanderhoof will be off the job four weeks, and Mackenzie six weeks. It’s not immediately clear how many employees will be affected.
The only mill to escape downtime is its Wynnwood operation in Southeast B.C.
Canfor says curtailments are set to run from June 17 through July 26 and will reduce its production output by 200 million board feet.
The company, which recently announced the permanent closure of its Vavenby operation for July, blames the production cuts on very poor lumber markets and the high cost of fibre.
Canfor, Tolko, and West Fraser have all cited uneconomic conditions for recently announced curtailments.
