Quesnel Will Likely Have One Mill Close Where Will The Rest Be
Thursday, August 16, 2012 @ 3:45 AM
We know there are going to be sawmill closures, the problem is we don’t know for certain just where those sawmills call home.
It has long been speculated that Quesnel will suffer with the shut down of one sawmill, but what other communities will feel the pain of the dwindling timber supply?
The Special Committee on Timber supply is forecasting a drop in the timber supply of about 20% over the next 10 to 15 years.
We do know that Quesnel is one of the hardest hit areas of the beetle infestation and more than 50% of the pine will have been destroyed when the dust settles, so chalk up a mill closing there and the community already seems resigned to that eventuality.
Now let’s look a little further. John Rustad says there are about 24 mills in the area suffering the most, 100 mile house , Bulkley, Kamloops, Mackenzie, Merritt, Morice, Prince George, Robson Valley, Williams Lake, The Lakes, Quesnel and Vanderhoof. The loss in cut, amounts to about 10 million cubic meters or enough to feed about 8 reasonably sized mills.
So let’s says through some very good silviculture, logging areas that were formerly not available and other measures we pick up 3 million cubic meters.
That leaves 5 to 6 mills that will have to go and with them the resulting jobs and support.
We have some very strong mills in this region and it is very likely that the majors do know which of their mills are going to see the mothballs, so it will be a wait and see game.
I’m Meisner and that’s one man’s opinion.
Comments
So would you build a mill then? I’m a little hesitant that Lakeland and Burns Lake are not likely to be rebuilt…
That is probably true Icicle. The article also says 1 in 3 mills in the north, it doesn’t say 1 in3 in each community? So, it is conceivable that 8 could close south of Mackenzie and they could all be in Williams Lake, Quesnel and the Lakes district? With no mill rebuilds either! Canfor has planned to have Plateau in Vanderhoof and Houston close in the short term with 2 mills in PG aleady gone nfrom the Canfor fold; I am sure Westfraser already knows which mills they will close, (Williams Lake); and Tolko too (Quesnel), there are probably more we will find out about later…..
Good ole Canfor will do the right thing and pay out the serverance one day. How many mills does Canfor have indefinitely shutdown still?
So the forest industry is in trouble.n To bad that they didnt realize this would happen sooner. Its time we stopped exporting our resourses and got some secondary industry going.
And its time we stopped exporting profits and developed secondary industry with those profit.
Cheers.
How many mills could stay afloat on those raw logs they ship out every day?
Perhaps the mills here should be paying more for the raw logs as I assume the people buying the logs are paying more than the mills here. I am not saying it is right, but that must be the case.
I think the logs should be milled here as well but if I could get more for a commodity somewhere else I certainly would.
When raw logs are shipped out, so are the processing jobs…. When we don’t have operating mills who buys the houses? Who buys goods in your stores? Who pays income taxes and sales taxes and buys fuel ? Who has babies and keeps our schools open? Who sells stuff to those workers? Who does their income tax and writes up legal documents for them…
When you ship out the jobs you are destroying our country!!! IMHO
Tell that to the natives, who are responsible for the bulk of raw log exports.
Last time I checked it was our government that controlled exports….I couldn’t care less if chickens were doing it….it’s doing harm to our economy, our communities…and our futures. Isn’t it about time some people quit pointing fingers at this or that race and get on with Identifying the root of the issue?
We understand Jim but if these logs were yours and company X was only willing to give you half of what company Y was willing to pay you, who would you sell to? Don’t tell me you would sell to company X just to keep jobs here. You would be looking after your interests first. That is the way businesses work. Anyone that owns or runs a business wants to make the most money they can.
Why aren’t the companies here willing to pay what the sellers can get offshore?
Jim, it’s not about race; it’s fact. The natives ship raw logs because they have the right to do so. Are you suggesting the government force them to stop? On what basis?
Johnny, it’s mostly from private land sales….wood that isn’t subject to stumpage and it’s been going on for years. Now that our mills are being threatened with closures it’s time to put a stop to it. Are you suggesting we should just let our domestic industries die in order to maximize profits and build new industries in foreign countries? I don’t recall any free trade agreements between Canada and any Asian countries?
Duffer, of course if it was my product I’d like to get as much for it as possible, if it wasn’t legal to export the product I’d have to find a domestic market. How would you like it if China was willing to pay double for our food that is produced in Canada…and there was none for you to buy so you could feed your family? At some point governments should be acting to protect their citizens too.
Jim, we’re in a global economy. Economic isolationism and protectionism have never worked, nor are they the answer.
Global economy my hinneey, when our industries shut down and people are unemployed you’ll see just how fast protectionism comes into play….
JB, if you think we have a global economy and no protectionism ….. try crossing the border sometime from the USA to Canada or even the other way around and you will understand right away what a joke that is.
Want to make matters even more interesting, see what sort of response you get when you cross the border with a roll of architectural/engineering drawings so that you see how strict they are with products of service and where they were created.
Of course, these days you send the electronic drawing files by e-mail and get them printed in the destination country. That is how stupid all this protectionism still is.
———————————
Examples of Products and the maximum amounts that can be imported upon entry to Canada
â¢Dairy products 20 kilo, not to exceed $20 in value
â¢Margarine and imitation butter products: 3 kilo
â¢Eggs: 2 dozen
â¢Meat, meat products, poultry or poultry products: 20 kilo
There are separate limits within this category as follows:
Turkey or turkey products: 1 whole turkey, or the 10 kilo of turkey products
Chicken, chicken products: 10 kilo chicken or chicken products
Meat products from cattle, bison, buffalo sheep or goat: 5 kilo
Fruit (temperate, such as those grown in Canada): generally prohibited
Fruit (tropical): 250 kilo per person
Fruit and vegetables (dried, canned): 20 kilo
So much for the lack of protectionism between NAFTA countries.
And, of course, we have not even started to discuss lumber and all the other products, such as steel, that BC businesses do not care about because they are Ontario concerns, right?
“JB, if you think we have a global economy and no protectionism ….. try crossing the border sometime from the USA to Canada or even the other way around and you will understand right away what a joke that is.”
Actually, I didn’t say we didn’t have protectionism… just that it doesn’t work. I’m glad you brought up dairy, that’s a really good example.
Look at what’s happening in Bellingham recently. Canadians are flocking down there to buy milk (and other things) that we pay overinflated prices for, thanks to dairy boards.
In general, most retail items in Canada are a rip-off compared to what our neighbors in the US pay, condiering our dollars are basically at par.
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