West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. has announced plans to indefinitely halt operations at its northern Alberta mill, impacting 190 employees. The Vancouver-based wood products company will strive to reassign affected workers to its other facilities. The closure at the High Level mill is scheduled for spring after a systematic winding down and utilization of its current log inventory. This decision stems from a significant decline in demand for oriented strand board, a material used in various construction and industrial applications.
As a result of the cutbacks at High Level, West Fraser anticipates a $200 million charge in its fourth-quarter financials. Additionally, the company will cease operations on one of its oriented strand board production lines in Georgia, which has been offline since late 2023.