Three hardwood veneer and plywood plants in Wisconsin have been closed resulting in more than 130 employees being laid off. The closures were made "due to an unprecedented industry downturn," the company said.

Besse Forest Products, which was acquired by the Hoffman Family of Companies earlier this year, filed WARN notices for 
Wisconsin Veneer and Plywood, Mattoon, Wisconsin, where 42    workers were dismissed; Birchwood Manufacturing, Rice Lake where 46  workers lost their jobs, and   Goodman Veneer & Lumber Company, Goodman where 48 workers were laid off.

The actions were effective as of August 2.

In the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act filing submitted Aug. 1, Timothy Turek, chief restructuring officer, said that there would be no "bumping or transfer rights to other jobs or locations."  

"We are sorry we were not able to give you more notice. However, due to an unprecedented industry downturn, it has recently become clear to the company that the revenues of the company will no longer support its operations. After exploring restructuring alternatives, we have determined that Wisconsin Veneer and Plywood will cease operations. Therefore, we are providing as much notice of the closing as is practicable in the circumstances, pursuant to federal and state WARN laws."