Approximately one-third of the Stimson Lumber plant's in Bonner, that closed in 2008, caved in under the weight of heavy snow.

Approximately 140,000 square feet of roof at the vacant Stimson Lumber Co. plywood plant caved in under a heavy cumulation of snow last week.
 
Jeff Webber, vice president of manufacturing for Stimson Lumber, told the Missoulian,  "We had a pretty big snow load and it kicked a portion of the plant down,. The building's almost 500,000 square feet and we lost 140,000 square feet of the roof, which is a pretty good chunk."

The plant was reportedly built by Champion International's U.S. Plywood in 1973 and once held claim to being North America's largest plywood plant. Stimson purchased the plant in 1993, closed it in 2008 and has been unsuccessful in finding a buyer for it since.

Last month, the Missoula County Board of Commissioners mulled plans to stimulate redevelopment of Stimson Lumber's Bonner plant into an industrial park. The board looked at setting up a tax-increment district to stimulate redevelopment of the site.

Posted by Rich Christianson