Columbia Falls mills to end production on Aug.19

Weyerhaeuser will end production at its Columbia Falls plywood plant and sawmill on Aug. 19, the company has announced.

Weyerhaeuser Resources Team Leader Tom Ray said the date for the closure was set this week. He said some staff will stay on to finish end work and shipping for a few weeks after that.

The company hasn’t announced what it will do with the buildings yet.

The original sawmill, built by businessman and Plum Creek founder D.C. Dunham, started up in the 1940s.

The two mills employed about 230 workers, but about 130 of them were offered jobs at the company’s Evergreen mills. The remaining 100 will be laid off.

The company has blamed a lack of logs for the mill closures, which are permanent.

In addition to the mill closures, the Cedar Palace, which houses the company’s administrative and support staff, will close by year’s end. About 100 jobs will be lost in that closure, though some employees will retain jobs in a smaller office in downtown Columbia Falls.

The Columbia Falls medium density fiberboard plant will continue to operate. Weyerhaeuser and Plum Creek announced they would merge late last year. The mill closures were announced on June 22.