Authored by Pat Jolley

Forest products manufacturers continue to complete capital projects and plan new investments, while some firms are closing lower performing mills. Most of the added capacity is in the U.S. South with only a few exceptions. Western Canada and the U.S. West remain the leading regions for new and expanded mass timber mills.

Recent projects completed in the U.S. South include Hood Industries in Bogalusa, LA and East Alabama Lumber Company in Lafayette, AL where both successfully reopened their lumber mills after rebuilding following fire events. Gloster Forest Products in Gloster, MS is ramping up production on the brownfield 250 MMBF lumber mill. Packaging Corporation of America in Jackson, MS completed a multi-year $440 million conversion of the 356K ton uncoated freesheet (UFS) machine to a 700K ton virgin & recycle linerboard machine. Georigia-Pacific’s Alabama River pulp mill completed the addition of fluff pulping capacity adding flexibility for the mill to navigate market changes. Hunt Forest Products in Pollock, LA invested $2 million into the electrical system at the plywood mill in preparation for a capacity increase project in the future. Canfor at Jackson, AL is now closed.

Recently completed projects outside the U.S. South include American Hardwood Flooring (AHF) in West Virginia purchasing two mills from Alleghany Wood Products for $7.5 million after receiving court approval to do so. Both mills in Smoot and Norton reopened and are actively supplying raw material for AHF flooring. Sun Mountain Lumber in Livingston, MT is operating again. Kronospan expanded their North American footprint with the purchase of the Island City, OR panel mill from Woodgrain. Northeast Pellets in Maine closed due to fire damage. All Teal-Jones mills are operating after a brief shut down during Canadian bankruptcy proceedings. West Fraser plywood in Williams Lake, BC replaced one of the mill’s dryers. C&D Lumber in Riddle, OR closed in May 2024.

For active projects, Irving Pulp and Paper in Saint Johns, NB announced a $808 million overhaul to the mill complex increasing mill production capacity by 66%. Rosboro will add a 70 MMBF glulam line to the Springfield, OR footprint at a cost of $120 million with completion expected in 2026. Roseburg broke ground on their new MDF and HDF panel mill in the Dillard, OR footprint. RYAM’s HPC pulp mill in Temiscaming, QC and Pyramid Mountain Lumber in Seeley Lake, MT will close operations. Roseburg’s panel mill in Missoula, MT will also close as Roseburg continues to move away from particle board manufacturing. Two Rivers Lumber will construct a 200 MMBF lumber mill in Kellyton, Alabama for $115 million using Peak North America as the contractor. Peak North America will also construct and new 650 MMSF OSB mill in Enterprise, AL called Magnolia OSB. Construction is set to begin July 2024 with expected completion by Q4 2025. Timberlab announced a new 3.5 MM CuFt CLT production mill in the Willamette Valley, OR. Massive Canada CLT in Williams Lake, BC has experienced construction delays for the new mass timber mill that will build housing units and is now planning to commission in H1 2025. Thompson Hardwoods in Hazlehurst, GA plans to complete their lumber mill expansion by the end of 2024.

The table below includes many other recent updates for forest product manufacturers.