Plum Creek Timber Co. announced Tuesday that it is restarting its Columbia Falls sawmill and rehiring about 140 mill workers in response to an uptick in customer demand for pine boards.
The company had previously said the plant’s closure was only temporary, but the reopening is still the first piece of good news for a Northwest Montana timber industry that has been hammered by the slumping economy.
Tom Ray, vice president of Montana operations, said the company remained cautious about the future.
“We are watching for signs of improvement in the wood products markets and see a modest gain in the demand for pine boards in the repair and remodel market,” he said in a prepared statement. “The recent positive trend in pine board demand will let us bring some people in Columbia Falls back to work. However, the broader housing market remains weak.”
In early January, Plum Creek scaled back its timber operations across Western Montana, eliminating dozens of jobs and leaving dozens more employees temporarily out of work. At the time, the company said it would permanently shutter its Ksanska plant in Fortine – that mill is still scheduled to close later this month.
The Evergreen sawmill, which is temporarily shut down, may absorb some of the volume previously produced in Fortine. Plum Creek said Tuesday that it could reopen the Evergreen plant by the end of next month.