Norbord announces OSB curtailments from Canada
23 June 2019Norbord Inc has announced its intention to curtail production indefinitely at its OSB mill in 100 Mile House, British Columbia.
The curtailment, which takes effect in August is due to wood supply shortages caused by the mountain pine beetle epidemic in the Cariboo region. This has been exacerbated recently by significant wildfires in BC in the summers of both 2017 and 2018.
“This is a difficult decision in response to extraordinary circumstances,” said Peter Wijnbergen, Norbord’s president and chief executive officer. “We have a first-rate team in 100 Mile House and this curtailment is in no way a reflection on our employees, their commitment to our customers and suppliers, or the local community.”
The 100 Mile House mill has a stated annual production capacity of 440 million ft2 (3/8-inch basis). Approximately 160 employees will be impacted by this curtailment.
Norbord Inc said it would continue to supply customers with production from its 11 other operating North American OSB mills. However, shortly after this announcement it was forced to suspend production temporarily at its High Level mill in Alberta, due to the close proximity of wildfires. This was in accordance with an evacuation order in MacKenzie County.
