Hunt Forest Products (HFP) will permanently close its hardwood sawmill in Olla, Louisiana, on June 19, resulting in the loss of 30 jobs.<\/p>\n
The company said weak hardwood lumber markets, declining prices and the small size of the facility made continued operations unsustainable.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are always difficult decisions,\u201d HFP President Richie LeBlanc said. \u201cBusiness conditions, the decline in hardwood lumber pricing and market demand, and the small size of the Olla mill combined to create serious concerns about the long-term sustainability of the facility.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to the company, the closure is intended to strengthen the long-term stability of Hunt Forest Products' remaining operations.<\/p>\n
HFP said affected employees will be encouraged to apply for open positions within the company. Support services will also be provided, including resume assistance, interview preparation, job search support and information about unemployment benefits.<\/p>\n
The closure is being closely watched by Louisiana's forestry sector because the Olla mill occupied a specialized niche in the regional timber market.<\/p>\n
Buck Vandersteen, Executive Director of the Louisiana Forestry Association, noted that the mill was one of the few facilities capable of processing oversized pine logs measuring up to 28-30 inches in diameter.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt takes away another location that landowners can sell material to and loggers can supply,\u201d Vandersteen said. \u201cThe Olla mill was doing something that many mills don't do, which is processing oversized logs.\u201d<\/p>\n
The loss of the facility reduces market options for forest owners and logging contractors handling large-diameter timber.<\/p>\n
Despite the closure, Hunt Forest Products will continue operating its other Louisiana facilities, including its plywood plant in Pollock and the LaSalle Lumber sawmill in Urania.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hunt Forest Products (HFP) will permanently close its hardwood sawmill in Olla, Louisiana, on June 19, resulting in the loss of 30 jobs.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":99135,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5204],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-99134","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n