What happened: West Fraser will temporarily close five British Columbia sawmills for one week this month.
Why it matters: Weak lumber prices and high log costs have pushed West Fraser and other forestry companies to take measures to curtail production, affecting operations.
Vancouver-based West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. will shut down operations at five B.C. sawmills for one week this month.
The company cited weak global lumber prices and high log costs as reasons for the decision, which will result in an estimated reduction of 30 million board feet.
The curtailment measures announced this week follow previous decisions by West Fraser to temporarily or permanently reduce production. Temporary measures over the past six months will have reduced production by approximately 125 million board feet after the most recent announcement takes effect. Permanent measures over the same time frame have cut production down by 300 million board feet.
Mills in Chetwynd, Fraser Lake, Quesnel, Smithers and Williams Lake will be affected by the temporary closure this month.
