Prince George, B.C. -   There may be some answers on the future of Canfor’s North Central Plywood as early as the end of this month.

Canfor’s Vice President, Forestry and the Environment, Ken Higginbotham says the company should have completed most of its evaluations by then. “We hope to have a closer understanding of the replacement cost, the timelines for construction and of course we have to consider what the market will be like going forward.” The market for plywood was nearly all domestic, so it was not feeling a significant impact by the crash of the U.S. housing market.

One of the key factors may have less to do with market and more to do with fibre supply says Higginbotham “We need to examine, over the longer term, what is the availability of suitable logs for peeling. The mountain pine beetle has had a major impact, and we need to assess the availability of Douglas Fir.”

The North Central Plywood plant in Prince George burned to the ground May 26^th when a fire in the area of the 2^nd dryer, spread to the roof of the building. The capital loss has been estimated to be in the $80 million dollar range. The fire cost more than 200 people their jobs.

Higginbotham says  the company hopes to  present some recommendations to the Board of Directors at the  end of July.