Plum Creek to close Evergreen mill; 23 positions trimmed in Columbia Falls

Plum Creek will close its Evergreen sawmill and trim 23 positions from its Columbia Falls sawmill staff, the company announced Thursday (June 4).

The Evergreen shutdown is indefinite, the company said, and 63 workers will lose their jobs. In Columbia Falls, the 23 will lose their jobs on June 26.

The Columbia Falls sawmill employed 130. The workforce will now be 107.

The future of the Columbia Falls mill remains in limbo.

"The decision to continue to operate this mill over time will be based on ongoing reviews of market conditions and the economic performance of the facility," the company said in a prepared release.

The Evergreen stud sawmill re-started on May 4 – operating one-and-one-half shifts after being curtailed since January 2009. The Evergreen remanufacturing facility has been running with one shift. The Columbia Falls pine board sawmill re-started in early March after a two-month shutdown and will continue to operate with one-and-one-half shifts.

"The company's manufacturing business has been hard hit by industry turbulence over the past several months," said Rick Holley, Plum Creek president and chief executive officer. "We have done everything possible to keep these facilities running, but improving efficiencies was not enough for our Evergreen stud operations given the current markets.

"The housing market remains dormant for new construction, which is directly tied to the wood products we make at the Evergreen plants. Fortunately, we can keep the Columbia Falls sawmill running for now. We regret the difficulties these changes pose to our affected employees and their families," he added.