Weak Southern Pine Lumber Demand Slows Production
Interfor-Yellow-Pine.JPG

Photo By Interfor

VANCOUVER, BC Interfor Corp. said weak demand for southern yellow pine lumber is forcing it to reduce production by 20 percent at its southern U.S. mills.

Work hours at the mills were reduced by five hours until further notice, Interfor (TSX:IFP) said.  "Prices for southern yellow pine lumber have fallen by 27 percent since the beginning of the year as available supply has outstripped product demand in the region," said Duncan Davies, Interfor's president and CEO.

"This action will help bring Interfor's production and the needs of our customers back into balance. It will also help to keep inventory levels in check as we move into the fall."

Affected are the sawmills in Baxley, Thomaston and Meldrim, Georgia; Georgetown, South Carolina; and Monticello, Arkansas. Planned maintenance and reliability improvements will take place at the sawmills during the slowdown "which will offset the financial impact of the curtailments on a go-forward basis," the company said.

Interfor has an annual production capacity of more than 3 billion board feet, with operations in Canada and the United States. The company has nine sawmills across the southern United States, with total annual capacity of approximately 1.3 billion board feet.

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Karen Koenig | Editor

Karen M. Koenig has more than 30 years of experience in the woodworking industry, including visits to wood products manufacturing facilities throughout North America, Europe and Asia. As editor of special publications under the Woodworking Network brand, including the Red Book Best Practices resource guide and website, Karen’s responsibilities include writing, editing and coordinating of editorial content. She is also a contributor to FDMC and other Woodworking Network online and print media owned by CCI Media. She can be reached at [email protected]