Wood Resources to Reopen Colville Plywood Mill; Hire 200
Wood Resources to Reopen Colville Plywood Mill; Hire 200

Wood Resources to Reopen Colville Plywood Mill; Hire 200OMAK, WA— Wood Resources LLC has signed a 25-year lease with the Colville Tribe to reopen the Colville plywood mill in Omak, WA. As many as 200 workers could be hired to operate the mill.

Shut down in 2009, the mill "will require significant restorative maintenance and upgrades to become operational," according to a statement from the company. The Omak mill will initially produce softwood veneer for Northwest markets, as well as Douglas fir plywood for specialty and commodity applications. Wood Resources said it expects to begin manufacturing veneer as early as this summer.

The agreement also includes timber from the tribal forest lands. The Colville Tribal Federal Corp., the business arm of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, and Wood Resources LLC announced the agreement March 25.

John Sirois, chairman of the Business Council of the Colville Tribes, said in a statement, "This long term agreement will provide for sustainable mill operations and timber management in our forests, as well as needed employment opportunities for tribal members."

"Wood Resources is delighted to partner with the Confederated Tribes to revive this enterprise, put people to work and help drive economic development in the area," added Richard Yarbrough, Wood Resources chairman.

Wood Resources LLC is a holding company for the production and distribution of wood panels for the North American industrial, commercial and residential markets. Its subsidiaries include Olympic Panel Products, Chester Wood Products and Moncure Plywood; the latter two resulted from the purchase of plywood facilities from Weyerhaeuser and the first was formed following the acquisition of the specialty overlay plywood division from Simpson Timber Co. According to its website,Wood Resources employs approximately 700 people and generates more than $200 million in revenues from its three facilities in Washington and the Carolinas.

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