Conifex will be shutting down its Mackenzie sawmill for four weeks starting Monday.
"The downtime is necessitated by the low water levels forecasted in the Williston Reservoir negatively impacting Conifex’s ability to safely and efficiently utilize its reservoir assets and reduced demand for lumber products amid challenging economic conditions," the company said in a statement.
The sawmill will go through maintenance during that time and the company expects to resume production in July, "but will closely monitor market conditions and adjust production plans accordingly."
The shutdown will take about 16 million board feet of production off the market.
Conifex’s power plant operation will remain unaffected.
“We regret the impact this may have on our employees, their families, and the community. We appreciate everyone’s commitment to safe, reliable and efficient operations, and look forward to resuming production in July,” Conifex CEO Ken Shields said in the statement.
