Forisk Research Release: Mill Closings Outpace Openings in North America

North American Mill Project Updates, Q1 2026

Forisk Research Release, March 2026 Mill Closings Outpace Openings in North America Each quarter, Forisk Consulting compiles data on mill activity through its ongoing tracking of wood-using facilities as part of Forisk’s North American Mill Capacity Database, a database of over 2,350 wood-using mills in North America. Mill updates are published in each quarter in the Forisk Research Quarterly (FRQ). This release provides a summary of mill investment activity from the 2026 Q1 edition of the FRQ.   Industry Closures Outpace Openings in Late 2025 – Early 2026 Southern U.S. sawmill closures in late 2025 included IndusTREE’s sawmill in Alexander City, AL; Mackeys Ferry Sawmill in Roper, NC; West Fraser in Augusta, GA; and Domtar in Glenwood, AR. Harrigan Lumber in Monroeville, AL and Interfor in Dequincy, LA also reduced production in late 2025. The Twin Mill Pallet mill started in January 2026 in Maysville, GA. Sawmill capacity reductions in Western Canada included the closures of Western FP Chemainus and West Fraser 100 Mile House and declines from Sinclar Group and Interfor. Closures in Eastern Canada included Interfor Ear Falls and Domtar Outardes, with GreenFirst Forest Products also idling. Canadian pulp mill closures continued in late 2025 as White Birch Papers confirmed the permanent closure of its F.F. Soucy mill in Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec. The mill, which specialized in newsprint production, idled in mid-2025. Domtar Crofton in British Columbia closed permanently in December 2025 citing poor pricing for pulp and lack of access to affordable fiber in British Columbia. In the structural panels sector, Roseburg closed the Weed, California veneer plant and announced that the company would consolidate production at the recently upgraded Oregon facilities. Arbec indefinitely idled the OSB mill in Amos, Quebec. West Fraser announced that it would indefinitely curtail the OSB mill in High Level, Alberta in the spring of 2026. West Fraser also stated that the OSB production line idled in Cordele, Georgia in 2023 would remain so indefinitely.   Steves & Sons is commissioning the door skin plant in Athens, GA as of February 2026. Mergers and Strategic Acquisitions Rayonier and PotlatchDeltic merged at the end of January 2026. The company will trade initially as Rayonier with the final name to be decided later in Q1 2026. The merger includes seven PotlatchDeltic plants, such as sawmills in Warren, Ola, and Waldo, AR.   Chinook Forest Partners closed on the purchase of South Coast Lumber, which included a sawmill, a veneer plant, and a plywood facility in Brookings, OR.   International Paper completed the sale of its Global Cellulose Fibers business to American Industrial Partners (AIP) in January 2026. The sale included Port Wentworth, GA; Riegelwood, NC; Columbus, MS; Oglethorpe, GA; Franklin, VA; and New Bern, NC in the U.S. South and Grande Prairie, AB in Canada. International Paper also announced that it will spin off a publicly traded company for the Europe, Middle East, and Africa business over the next 12-15 months. International Paper will include only the North American business once the spinoff is complete. New Investments and Projects on the Horizon PCA announced that it will shut down the No. 2 paper machine and kraft pulping facilities at the Wallula, Washington mill by the end of Q1 2026. It will continue to operate its No. 3 paper machine and recycled pulping facilities.   Hampton Affiliates broke ground on the Fairfax, SC mill in November 2025. The company plans to commission the mill at the end of 2026 and start operating in early 2027. The owner of Dupont Pine Products plans to restart the former Hood sawmill in Metcalfe, GA at a lower capacity than the original mill. Two new OSB mills are scheduled for completion this year (2026) in the Southern U.S. Huber Shuqualak in Mississippi is hiring and should be running by Q2 or Q3. Kronospan Eastaboga also plans to startup this year in Alabama. The new OSB mill planned by Peak Renewables for Enterprise, Alabama is on hold.   Atlas Thunder Bay Pulp and Paper will discontinue newsprint operations in Ontario in Q1 2026. The mill will operate as a single-line softwood kraft mill afterwards. Domtar plans to close the Ignace sawmill in Ontario in early 2026. About the Mill Capacity Database: Forisk’s North American Mill Capacity Database provides forest industry stakeholders with detailed capacity, ownership, and wood-use data for wood-using mills across North America. The database supports strategic planning, competitive benchmarking, investment analysis, and supply chain assessment. For more information, visit www.forisk.com or contact Nick DiLuzio at ndiluzio@forisk.com.   Forisk Consulting | www.forisk.com

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