North America\u2019s sawmill closures tell only one side of the capacity story. Since the beginning of 2025, a sizeable group of US mills has expanded, restarted, added shifts or moved through the final stages of major rebuilds, putting new lumber production into a market that is simultaneously losing capacity elsewhere.<\/p>\n
The contrast is becoming sharper. Canada accounts for most of the large permanent closures and indefinite curtailments recorded over the past two years. In the United States, particularly across the South, capital continues to flow into larger and more productive mills.<\/p>\n
Global Wood Markets Info (GWMI) has identified more than 20 sawmill projects that have added production, returned idled capacity or increased operating rates since early 2025.<\/p>\n
The figures are substantial even before every project can be quantified. Five projects alone \u2014 Waldo, Ackerman, Jasper, Glenwood and Brookhaven \u2014 account for more than 600 million board feet of additional or restored annual capacity. That total excludes new shifts, mills where the production increase has not been published and large rebuilds where only the new mill capacity is known.<\/p>\n
PotlatchDeltic\u2019s Waldo sawmill in Arkansas is one of the clearest examples. The modernization increased annual capacity by 85 million board feet, bringing the plant to approximately 275 MMbf. The construction phase was completed in 2024, but the mill reached its higher production level during 2025.<\/p>\n
A much larger increase is under way at Southeastern Timber Products in Ackerman, Mississippi. The $123 million project raises the sawmill\u2019s capacity from 120 MMbf to 300 MMbf, adding roughly 180 MMbf. New sawing equipment, kilns and storage are being installed around an existing Southern yellow pine operation.<\/p>\n
Jasper Lumber in Alabama represents another unusually large increase. Its multi-year modernization is taking annual output from only 65 MMbf to almost 225 MMbf, equivalent to roughly 160 MMbf of additional production potential once the project is complete.<\/p>\n
The changes are not limited to plant expansions<\/strong><\/p>\n Domtar returned its Glenwood, Arkansas sawmill to production in March 2026 after a shutdown lasting almost six months. The mill is rated at approximately 167 MMbf annually. Pine Plantation Products also reopened the former Hood Industries sawmill at Metcalfe, Georgia, while other mills have restored shifts that had previously disappeared from the market.<\/p>\n Pleasant River Lumber added a second shift at Enfield, Maine, increasing production by roughly 50%. Harrigan Lumber restored a second shift at Monroeville, Alabama, and Interfor added another shift at Grand Forks in British Columbia.<\/p>\n Rex Lumber\u2019s Brookhaven operation in Mississippi increased capacity by approximately 25 MMbf following its latest investment programme.<\/p>\n Interfor\u2019s Thomaston sawmill in Georgia is another important case, although its new capacity should not simply be counted as a net addition. The company completed a multi-year rebuild during the first quarter of 2026 and is ramping the mill toward 240 MMbf of annual production. Interfor says the investment programme increased production by about 85% compared with the previous configuration.<\/p>\n The mill was already having a visible effect on Interfor\u2019s numbers by the second quarter. Company lumber production increased by 71 MMbf from the previous quarter, with the Thomaston ramp-up identified as one of the main contributors.<\/p>\n The South is absorbing most of the investment<\/strong><\/p>\n Most of the capacity growth remains concentrated in the US South.<\/p>\n Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Florida and South Carolina account for the majority of the mills identified by GWMI. This is the same region that has attracted billions of dollars in sawmill investment over the past decade as producers shifted production closer to Southern pine resources and major US consuming markets.<\/p>\n The latest projects extend that movement rather than start a new one. Some investments add straightforward new capacity. Others replace older machinery with mills capable of operating at significantly higher rates. Still others bring previously idle equipment back into production.<\/p>\n West Fraser\u2019s Henderson, Texas project falls into the second category. The replacement sawmill began commissioning in late 2025 and is rated at approximately 275 MMbf annually. Its contribution to net North American capacity is smaller than the headline rating because it replaces an existing operation, but the new plant can sustain a considerably higher level of production than the mill it replaced.<\/p>\n The same issue applies elsewhere. A new 250 or 300 MMbf sawmill should not automatically be treated as 250 or 300 MMbf of new continental capacity if an older mill disappears at the same site or nearby.<\/p>\n For lumber supply, however, replacement investments still have consequences. New mills usually have higher recovery, fewer production bottlenecks and lower labour requirements. They are built to operate closer to their rated capacity than many of the older plants being closed or curtailed.<\/p>\n That creates pressure on competing mills even when total North American nameplate capacity changes relatively little.<\/p>\n More capacity is already in the system than production figures show<\/strong><\/p>\n One of the more important developments for lumber traders is the gap between installed capacity and actual output. Several of the largest recent projects are still ramping up. Their full annual ratings therefore overstate the lumber that has entered the market so far, but understate what the same plants could produce if demand improves.<\/p>\n Thomaston is still moving toward 240 MMbf. Henderson continues its ramp-up. Ackerman is moving toward 300 MMbf. Jasper is approaching the end of a multi-year project that will take the mill close to 225 MMbf.<\/p>\n This gives US producers considerable room to raise output without another wave of new sawmill construction.<\/p>\n The same is true for shifts. Adding a second or third shift can increase production much faster than building a new plant, but companies can also remove that shift again when margins deteriorate.<\/p>\n This flexibility is one reason the current capacity cycle looks different from the period before the 2008 housing crash. The industry has more large, automated mills, but companies are also using shifts, maintenance downtime and temporary curtailments to adjust production.<\/p>\n Another group of projects is still coming<\/strong><\/p>\n The investment cycle is not finished. Irving Forest Products announced a major expansion of its Ashland, Maine sawmill that will increase annual lumber capacity from 130 MMbf to 250 MMbf, adding approximately 120 MMbf. The project is particularly significant because most of the recent North American additions have been concentrated in Southern yellow pine. Ashland adds capacity to the northeastern spruce-fir lumber market instead.<\/p>\n Tahoe Forest Products in Carson City, Nevada, has secured financing for another saw line, kilns and planer capacity. The project is expected to add approximately 60 MMbf of finished lumber capacity.<\/p>\n Other advanced projects include Hood Industries\u2019 new Waynesboro mill in Mississippi and Hampton Lumber\u2019s planned sawmill in Fairfax, South Carolina.<\/p>\n Not all of this production will arrive at once. Some projects will take several quarters after commissioning to reach normal operating rates. Others replace existing machinery and therefore add less net capacity than their headline ratings imply. But the direction of investment is clear.<\/p>\n Capacity is being redistributed, not simply removed<\/strong><\/p>\n North America can continue to record sawmill closures while US lumber production capacity increases in selected regions. That is already happening. Older mills are disappearing from British Columbia, Ontario and parts of the western United States. At the same time, modern Southern mills are expanding, idle plants are returning and existing operations are adding shifts.<\/p>\n The result is a steady change in the production map. For sawlog markets, the consequences may appear before the full lumber volumes do. Large expansions at Ackerman, Jasper, Waldo and other Southern mills require additional log procurement as production rises. Where mill procurement zones overlap, competition for Southern pine sawlogs can increase even when the wider regional timber inventory remains ample.<\/p>\n For lumber traders, the other number to watch is utilisation. The US now has a growing group of mills capable of producing significantly more lumber than they are currently putting onto the market. If demand strengthens, part of the supply response can therefore come from existing mills moving closer to capacity rather than from another round of construction.<\/p>\n That also means new capacity does not automatically produce a rising North American total.<\/p>\n A modern mill increasing production in Mississippi or Arkansas can take market share from an older mill hundreds of miles away. The next closure may therefore be part of the same process as the next expansion.<\/p>\n The shutdown list records where production is being removed. The investment list shows where it is being rebuilt.<\/p>\n North America\u2019s sawmill closures tell only one side of the capacity story. Since the beginning of 2025, a sizeable group of US mills has expanded, restarted, added shifts or moved through the final stages of major rebuilds, putting new lumber … Continue reading \n\n
\n \nMill<\/th>\n Location<\/th>\n Project<\/th>\n Capacity \/ effect<\/th>\n Timing<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n PotlatchDeltic \u2013 Waldo<\/strong><\/td>\n Arkansas<\/td>\n Expansion \/ modernisation<\/td>\n +85 MMbf<\/strong><\/td>\n Q1 2025<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Canfor \u2013 Urbana<\/strong><\/td>\n Arkansas<\/td>\n Expansion<\/td>\n +115 MMbf<\/strong><\/td>\n Ramp-up 2025<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Canfor \u2013 Axis<\/strong><\/td>\n Alabama<\/td>\n New sawmill<\/td>\n 250 MMbf<\/strong><\/td>\n Ramp-up 2025<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Roseburg \u2013 Roanoke Valley<\/strong><\/td>\n North Carolina<\/td>\n Third shift<\/td>\n Production increase<\/td>\n Q2 2025<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Southeastern Timber Products \u2013 Ackerman<\/strong><\/td>\n Mississippi<\/td>\n Major expansion<\/td>\n +180 MMbf<\/strong><\/td>\n 2025\u201326<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Plain Dealing<\/strong><\/td>\n Louisiana<\/td>\n Production ramp-up \/ second shift<\/td>\n 300 MMbf mill<\/strong><\/td>\n 2025<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n West Fraser \u2013 Henderson<\/strong><\/td>\n Texas<\/td>\n Replacement sawmill<\/td>\n 275 MMbf<\/strong><\/td>\n Nov. 2025<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Two Rivers Lumber \u2013 Kellyton<\/strong><\/td>\n Alabama<\/td>\n New sawmill<\/td>\n New capacity<\/td>\n 2025<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Weyerhaeuser \u2013 Dodson<\/strong><\/td>\n Louisiana<\/td>\n Drying \/ mill modernisation<\/td>\n 260 MMbf mill<\/strong><\/td>\n 2025<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Jasper Lumber<\/strong><\/td>\n Alabama<\/td>\n Major modernisation<\/td>\n +160 MMbf<\/strong><\/td>\n 2025\u201326<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Interfor \u2013 Thomaston<\/strong><\/td>\n Georgia<\/td>\n Rebuild<\/td>\n 240 MMbf<\/strong><\/td>\n Q1 2026<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Domtar \u2013 Glenwood<\/strong><\/td>\n Arkansas<\/td>\n Restart<\/td>\n 167 MMbf restored<\/strong><\/td>\n Mar. 2026<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Pleasant River Lumber \u2013 Enfield<\/strong><\/td>\n Maine<\/td>\n Second shift<\/td>\n ~+50% output<\/strong><\/td>\n Jan. 2026<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Rex Lumber \u2013 Brookhaven<\/strong><\/td>\n Mississippi<\/td>\n Rebuild<\/td>\n +25 MMbf<\/strong><\/td>\n 2026<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Pine Plantation Products \u2013 Metcalfe<\/strong><\/td>\n Georgia<\/td>\n Sawmill restart<\/td>\n Capacity returned<\/td>\n 2026<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Doman \u2013 Estill<\/strong><\/td>\n South Carolina<\/td>\n Sawmill start-up<\/td>\n New production<\/td>\n 2026<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Harrigan Lumber \u2013 Monroeville<\/strong><\/td>\n Alabama<\/td>\n Second shift restarted<\/td>\n Production increase<\/td>\n 2026<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Interfor \u2013 Grand Forks<\/strong><\/td>\n British Columbia<\/td>\n Second shift<\/td>\n Production increase<\/td>\n 2026<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Patrick Lumber \u2013 Philomath<\/strong><\/td>\n Oregon<\/td>\n Kilns \/ process expansion<\/td>\n Higher throughput<\/td>\n 2026<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n West Fraser \u2013 McDavid<\/strong><\/td>\n Florida<\/td>\n Sawmill expansion<\/td>\n $70.25m project<\/strong><\/td>\n 2026<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Winwood Forestry Products<\/strong><\/td>\n Mississippi<\/td>\n Sawmill expansion<\/td>\n Production increase<\/td>\n 2026<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n \n\n
\n \nMill<\/th>\n Location<\/th>\n Project<\/th>\n Capacity \/ scale<\/th>\n Expected<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n Irving Forest Products \u2013 Ashland<\/strong><\/td>\n Maine<\/td>\n Second sawline \/ expansion<\/td>\n +120 MMbf<\/strong><\/td>\n 2027<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Hood Industries \u2013 Waynesboro<\/strong><\/td>\n Mississippi<\/td>\n Mill modernisation<\/td>\n 300 MMbf initial*<\/strong><\/td>\n 2027<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Hampton Lumber \u2013 Fairfax<\/strong><\/td>\n South Carolina<\/td>\n New SYP sawmill<\/td>\n $225m project<\/strong><\/td>\n 2027<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Tahoe Forest Products \u2013 Carson City<\/strong><\/td>\n Nevada<\/td>\n Sawline \/ kiln \/ planer expansion<\/td>\n +60 MMbf<\/strong><\/td>\n 2027<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n The Lumber Manufactory \u2013 Colbert County<\/strong><\/td>\n Alabama<\/td>\n Second sawmill<\/td>\n New capacity<\/td>\n Planned<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n