Western Forest Products temporarily curtails sawmill production

Western Forest Products Inc. (WFP) says it is temporarily curtailing lumber production due to market challenges.

The Vancouver-based company says it is reducing production from its B.C. sawmills by approximately 30 million board feet during the period from October to December of this year.

The reduction will affect operating schedules at all B.C. WFP sawmill locations, including Ladysmith, Saltair, Cowichan Bay, Duke Point and Chemainus sawmills, impacting about 800 employees, said WFP communications senior director Babita Khunkhun.

The measures include temporary downtime during the last two weeks of December at those mills.

"We recognize that curtailments are challenging and have timed the downtime around the holiday period with the hope that it may alleviate the impact as many employees typically plan days off then," Khunkhun said. 

This comes on top of additional curtailments that took place earlier in the year, for a total annual reduction of approximately 90 million board feet, or about 10 per cent of the company's annual lumber capacity.

Western Forest Products says the curtailments are due to a combination of market challenges, including weaker lumber demand and higher U.S. softwood lumber duty rates.

It says the B.C. market is also experiencing a lack of available economic log supply at certain sawmills.

WFP has about 3,500 employees overall on the island, including its forestry operation, which is separate from its sawmills and not affected. The company indefinitely shut down its Port Alberni mill in April and temporarily curtailed operations at its Chemainus site in March.

But it also unveiled new equipment at its Saltair operation and announced upcoming investments at two other operations.

The company warned that all levels of government must work to create a policy environment that supports the forestry industry, especially as U.S. softwood lumber duty rates are set to rise significantly in the second half of 2025.