A cant mill operating on the former TRC Cedar property in McBride has shut down after less than three months in operation.
CEO of McBride Biofuels Dustin Meierhofer wrote in an email to the Goat that the company would not be commenting on the reasons for the closure or whether it might reopen.
The mill leaves 10 full-time employees and three part-time employees without work. The mill opened in late July.
In a previous interview, Meierhofer said General Biofuels (the parent company) chose McBride because of the existing business relationships it had in the area and because of less competition for fibre.
The mill had been sourcing its fibre (Douglas Fir, Hemlock, Pine, Spruce, Balsam) from the McBride and the Dunster Community Forests.
General Biofuels’ McBride was processing strictly small logs no larger than 12 inch butt size with 6 inch tops – and no cedar. They were set up to produce 4×4, 5×5, 6×6 and 8×8 lumber up to 13 feet long.
They planned to process approx. 80,000 cubic metres/year serving Canadian and International markets. Abroad, the wood was likely destined for construction; domestically it was suitable to be used for oil rig mats and landscaping, among other things.
Meierhofer previously told the Goat that operations would be year-round, starting with one shift and expanding to two based on demand.
By: Laura Keil
