Hammond Cedar sawmill, a fixture of the B.C. coastal lumber industry since 1908, is closing as part of a reorganization of Interfor CorpB次元官网网址檚 coastal operations.

The current Maple Ridge sawmill was built in 1963, and has been down to a single shift for some time as cedar producers have been B次元官网网址渄isproportionately impactedB次元官网网址� by the latest round of U.S. softwood lumber duties, Interfor CEO Duncan Davies said in a statement released Tuesday evening.

The closure is to take effect before the end of 2019, after current inventory of logs and lumber are processed and shipped.

B次元官网网址淲e recognize the impact this decision will have on our employees who have contributed so much to the business over the years,B次元官网网址� Davies said. B次元官网网址淲e will be working closely with them to mitigate the impacts of the closure and to identify job opportunities at other Interfor mills as well as outside the company.B次元官网网址�

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The reorganization includes efforts to increase log supply to InterforB次元官网网址檚 last B.C. coast sawmill, Acorn in Delta, which cuts hemlock and Douglas fir mainly for the Japanese housing market, said Ric Slaco, InterforB次元官网网址檚 vice president and chief forester.

Selling the Hammond site on the bank of the Fraser River is part of the plan to improve the companyB次元官网网址檚 financial situation, as the B.C. industry struggles with log shortages, high costs and the imposition of duties of about 20 per cent on U.S. lumber exports.

The B.C. governmentB次元官网网址檚 latest forestry changes include banning the export of cedar and cypress logs, as well as changes to log export limits from Crown land. Interfor will focus on selling cedar logs domestically rather than milling, Slaco said.

tfletcher@blackpress.ca
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