Plum Creek restarts Montana mill

Plum Creek has announced it will restart its sawmill in Columbia Falls, Mont., on March 16, bringing about 140 workers back in one and one-half shifts.

Although the market remains weak, an uptick in customer demand for pine boards has allowed the company to restart production.

“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,” said Tom Ray, VP Montana operations. “The recent positive trend in pine board demand will let us bring some people in Columbia Falls back to work.”

The company’s Ksanka sawmill in Fortine is scheduled to close permanently. The sawmill in Evergreen, which has been temporarily curtailed since January, is not scheduled to re-open before late April 2009.