This blog includes data from Forisk’s North American Mill Capacity Database, a database of over 2,300 wood-using mills in North America. For more information on the mill database or Forisk’s other products, please visit  or contact Nick DiLuzio at ndiluzio@forisk.com.

Recent developments in the forest industry include both mill closures due to challenging operating conditions and the announcement and progression of capital projects. Since June 2024, mills, particularly in the lumber sector, have continued to close or reduce capacity, with more closures expected by the end of the year:

• Besse Forest Products Group in northern Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, recently acquired by the Hoffman Family of Companies from Florida, have ceased operations with little public information available.
• Western Cascade Industries lumber mill in Toledo, Oregon closed in July.
• Aspen Planers lumber mill in Merritt, British Columbia closed in late August.
• Pyramid Lumber in Seeley Lake, Montana has closed and will be auctioned.
• Stimson in Plummer, ID, closed its sawmill.
• Mill River Lumber in North Clarendon, Vermont closed.
• Colby Lumber Company in Boscawen, New Hampshire closed in June due to fire damage.
• RYAM HPC paper mill in Temiscaming, Quebec closed mid-July due to market weakness.
• Conifex in MacKenzie, British Columbia cut one shift, citing the looming railroad strike and reduced allowable annual harvest.
• McKenzie Sawmill in Surrey, British Columbia has idled.

Other Completed Projects:

• Timberlab purchased the shuttered Interfor sawmill in Philomath, OR, and plans to produce lumber again to support a new 3.5 MM CuFt CLT plant in Millersburg, Oregon.
• Canfor finalized the purchase of the El Dorado, AR lumber mill from Resolute Forest Products.
• WestRock and Smurfit Kappa have merged into one company.
• West Fraser completed a multiyear investment to modernize and expand the sawmill in Newberry, SC.

Active Projects:

• Two Rivers has commenced site work at the new Kellyton, AL sawmill.
• Canfor will close both Fort Saint John and Plateau sawmills in British Columbia by the end of the year and reduce one shift at the Darlington, SC mill.
• Interfor announced the closure of both the Meldrim, GA, and Interfor, SC sawmills in Q3 2024.
• Hood Industries continues rebuilding the Beaumont, MS plywood mill and will begin a $30 million capacity increase at the Silver Creek, MS sawmill, scheduled for completion by year-end.
• Boise Cascade announced a $140 million project to add the first new I-joist manufacturing line in North America in over 20 years at the Thorsby, AL mill and convert a plywood layup line to a parallel laminated veneer line in Chapman, AL.

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