world news - 12.12.2006
Western Forest Products to take extended mill downtime over Christmas due to weather-related log shortages
President
and CEO Reynold Hert stated, "Although we expect and plan for some
weather outages, this year's unusually severe November, and prolonged
early snow ground cover into December, have resulted in harvest levels
being about 50% of the approximately one million cubic metres we would
normally expect for the November and early December period. Outside log
purchases are also affected since other timber harvesting operators
have been impacted by the unusual weather." The additional reduction in
harvest follows a high fire hazard summer that had already reduced the
log supply in the coastal region. Western
will be taking down-time during the week before Christmas at its
Alberni Pacific division, Chemainus and Somass sawmills in addition to
the normal shutdown between Christmas and New Year's. Additional
down-time may be required periodically in the first quarter of 2007
until the log inventory is re-established. Logging will continue
through the period. Western
is an integrated Canadian forest products company and the largest
coastal British Columbia woodland operator and lumber producer with an
annual allowable cut of approximately 7.7 million cubic meters (before
temporary AAC reductions) of timber and lumber capacity in excess of
1.5 billion board feet from nine sawmills and five remanufacturing
plants. Principal activities conducted by the company and its
subsidiaries include timber harvesting, reforestation, sawmilling logs
into lumber and wood chips, and value-added remanufacturing.
Substantially all of Western's logging is conducted on government owned
timberlands in British Columbia. All of Western's operations, employees
and corporate facilities are located in the coastal region of British
Columbia while its products are sold in over 20 countries worldwide.
See also:
- — UN: Negotiators draft new agreement to manage world’s forests
- — Malaysia: Prices of timber products rise across the board
- — Less supply of Christmas trees in Europe increases prices for Danish growers
- — Finland worried by Russia’s plans to increase export duties on raw timber
- — Opportunities offered by forests within reach of young people
