DOAKTOWN, New Brunswick - Forest products giant J.D. Irving will begin a $35 million expansion at its New Brunswick sawmill next month.

 

The expansion will add 14,000 sqare feet of operating space to the mill, as well as bringing under the same roof as the planer mill and value-added center. The sawmill is currently located on the other side of the road.

 

“This is home and we have a great team here at Doaktown. We’ve been part of the community for over 30 years,” says Jerome Pelletier, VP sawmills, J.D. Irving, Ltd. “We know how important it is to sustain jobs and support local suppliers in rural New Brunswick,” explains Pelletier. “On completion, this site will be one of the most modern of its kind in North America. From a customer and market perspective, the timing is right.”

 

New technology will be installed during construction. The construction process is expected to generate 40,000 hours of work and require a team of 60 people.

 

Spring 2021 is the target end-date. 

 

J.D. Irving is the sixth-largest landowner in North America - owning 1.25 million acres of land, employing more than 16,000 workers, and running 11 sawmills throughout New Brunswick, Maine, and Nova Scotia. The company's Dixfield sawmill, located in Western Maine, is the largest producer of Eastern White Pine boards for interior and exterior finish applications, according to the company. Dixfield produces 88 million board feet annually.