West Fraser to cut production at five B.C. mills

VANCOUVER — West Fraser Timber Co. announced this week that five B.C. sawmills will move to variable operating schedules, slowing production by about 15 to 25%. Beginning Monday, the new schedules will go into effect for sawmill and plywood operations in Chetwynd, Fraser Lake, Quesnel, Williams Lake and 100 Mile House. The company said the decision, which could reduce production by up to 100 million board feet, was driven by prolonged market and pricing weakness, combined with high log costs.