Sinclar Group Forest Products Ltd. has announced it is curtailing its lumber operations at Lakeland Mills in Prince George, Apollo Forest Products in Fort St. James and Nechako Lumber Co. in Vanderhoof, for various periods of time until the end of July 2023.
Lakeland Mills will curtail operations from July 2 to July 29.
Apollo Forest Products will curtail operations from June 4 to June 30 and Nechako Lumber Co. will curtail operations from May 14 to July 29.
“The high cost of fibre, compounded by poor market conditions, has negatively impacted our business and forced us to take these measures,” said Sinclar President Greg Stewart in a news release.
According to the company, the curtailments are necessary to maintain a log inventory and draw down rough lumber inventories at the three operations in the face of the dual challenge of high fibre costs and low lumber prices. These industry challenges are expected to persist for the rest of this year.
The Premium Pellet operation in Vanderhoof will continue to run, and Lakeland will continue to provide heat to the Prince George Downtown Renewable Energy System.
“We will evaluate conditions on an ongoing basis and adjust our operations as necessary,” stated Stewart.