Malheur Lumber Company, the last remaining commercial sawmill in Grant County, has closed its doors. The company announced on July 23 that it would permanently close after the last log inventory had been milled and the lumber shipped to customers.

The lumber mill, a subsidiary of Ochoco Lumber, operated for over forty years and employed seventy full-time and part-time workers.

In a letter to a local Grant County newspaper, the company officials said that their industry had been struggling for years and noted that many other wood manufacturers had been forced to close.

The letter went on to cite several factors that contributed to the decision to close up shop:

•  Lack of a willing and drug-free workforce.
• Lack of housing to recruit workers from outside the area.
• Unfavorable market conditions for lumber in recent years.
• High manufacturing costs due to inflation.
• Low and inconsistent production due to workforce issues.
• Continued layering of government regulations on small business in Oregon.

At the opposite end of the state, Western Cascade Industries’ mill — which employed fifty people at its site in Toledo — has shut down on August 1st. Walt Adamwille, the mill’s general manager, said the mill employees were informed on July 22nd that the mill would be closing at the end of July.

“They’re shutting the power off August 1st, is what I’ve been told,” he said. “They’re pulling the plug here, so everybody’s going to be laid off by the end of this month.”