Page 5 - Flathead Beacon // 9.3.14

FLATHEADBEACON.COM
NEWS
Logs are unloaded from the back of a logging truck at F.H. Stoltze Land and Lumber in Columbia Falls. BEACON FILE PHOTO
Struggling to Find Timber, Stoltze Cuts Back Production
SEPTEMBER 3, 2014 | 5
W•O•R•D•S of the Week
AN INDEX OF RECENT NEWSMAKERS
DEBATES
With about two months to go before the general elec- tion, there is only one U.S. House and Senate debate scheduled in Montana, in Bozeman on Oct. 4.
DRONES
For the third time this summer, Yellowstone Na- tional Park rangers cited a tourist for illegally flying a drone in the park.
BEARS
Fall is approaching, which means the region’s bears are filling up on calories to get ready for winter hiber- nating; wildlife officials are urging residents to be safe in the outdoors and clean up food attractants. (STORY, PAGE 62)
STOLTZE
The oldest family owned sawmill in Montana, F.H. Stoltze Land and Lumber in Columbia Falls, will cut back production and lay off employees in late September due to sparse log supplies, company managers say. (STORY, THIS PAGE)
Columbia Falls sawmill to reduce production hours, lay off workers amid battle over public land management
By DILLON TABISH of the Beacon
Citing a lack of available timber and
blaming litigious environmental groups, managers at F.H. Stoltze Land & Lumber Co. announced cutbacks at the Columbia Falls sawmill last week.
Chuck Roady, general manager at Stol- tze,saidproductionhourswouldbereduced from 80 hours per week to 60 hours for an indefinite period of time, effective Sept. 29. The drop in production would require the initial layoff of 10 positions, Roady said. The reduction is the most significant
Stoltze has experienced in years, includ- ing throughout the recent recession. It was the largest employee layoff “in a long, long time,” according to Roady.
“This is just agonizing,” he said. “This is hard to grasp.”
He added, in a prepared statement, “It is with extreme frustration that we announce this curtailment. At a time when lumber markets are rebounding, we are faced with having to reduce pro- duction due to lack of access to the raw
See Stoltze PAGE 28
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