Plum Creek to close Pablo mill, possibly 2 others

[Newsjock]

Source: Missoulian

KALISPELL - Yet another sawmill is closing and two more are on the chopping block as Plum Creek Timber Co. continues to stagger beneath a collapsing real estate market.

... The bad news Monday: Plum Creek will close its Pablo sawmill in 60 days, and may do the same at mills in Evergreen and Columbia Falls. Combined, the mills employ nearly 300 people.

In March, the company permanently closed its Ksanka sawmill, shedding the last 90 jobs there. That Eureka-area mill will be dismantled, Budinick said, and its equipment sold at auction.

... According to forecasts by the Western Wood Products Association, “demand for lumber in the U.S. in 2009 will slide to the lowest level in modern history,” to just 28.9 billion board feet. That’s 30 percent off last year’s mark, and 55 percent off the 2005 high of 64.3 billion board feet. A March report from WPPA calls it “the steepest decline in the history of the industry.”

Read more: http://missoulian.com/articles/2009/04/27/news/local/news002.txt

[msongs]

1. forest plants and animals are celebrating - people, not so much nt

[lazyriver]

3. Plum Creek is much more a real estate developer than a timber

company. I am afraid nobody (wildlife included) should be celebrating the closure of their mills.

This is but one example of what they do once the profit is gone from logging...

http://www.nrcm.org/issue_plumcreek.asp

Moosehead Lake is the crown jewel of the North Maine Woods. This forest has been logged for generations and with proper management and limited clear cutting, it can simultaneously be a sustainable resource for wood products, an area rich in diverse wildlife and a multi-use recreation area. That changes quickly when you build resorts, golf courses and a thousand homes. All Plum Creek sees is quick dollar signs.

[thunder rising]

2. What this means is that they really need to cut "Old Growth" now