Hot weather and cool markets in China have resulted in the almost total closure of Skeena Sawmills, Terrace, BC’s, only large sawmill, according to the Terrace Standard Friday.
A skeleton crew of 10 people from what was a 90-person workforce is left working. The mass layoff will last at least a month, said Mill official Roger Keery.
About 15 per cent of the mill’s production was planned for specialty timber markets in North America, but the forest fire hazard has meant that the logging company which supplies the raw logs had to shut down operations on June 17.
“Our logging sites right now are under a severe fire hazard threat, so we don’t have enough wood coming in to run the business right now,” said Veery.
“The planer mill is shut down completely. Some of the office staff have also been laid off. The remaining crew is doing some chipping and limited sawing of lumber,” detailed Keery to the Standard.
Without the fire hazard, he said 25 per cent of the workforce could be at work milling wood for the specialty markets, but strong markets in China dictate the operation of the mill in the long term.
Skeena Sawmills has an ownership structure rooted in China through a company called Roc Holdings Ltd. and represented locally through Vancouver, BC, businessperson Teddy Cui.
