West Fraser Timber announced the planned curtailment of operations at Cariboo Pulp & Paper located in Quesnel, British Columbia, Canada, beginning in mid-April for a month and then for another month in the third quarter.
This decision is the result of the decline in the availability of sawmill residuals. The fiber supply challenge in British Columbia is well documented. Infestation, fire, and government policy decisions have all impacted the amount of available fiber in the province.
Downtime at Cariboo Pulp & Paper will help better align its production capacity this year with the available fiber supply. These plans may be adjusted should fiber forecasts change.
Cariboo Pulp & Paper expects to mitigate some of the impact on its affected employees through vacation scheduling and alternative work assignments.
Cariboo Pulp & Paper is jointly owned by West Fraser and Mercer International.
