Cold weather forces Plum Creek cut backs

Plum Creek Timber Co. officials announced last week that starting Monday, Feb. 17, worker hours at the plywood plants in Columbia Falls and Evergreen will be cut back from 40 to 30 hours per week.

The reduction became necessary because of a shortage of Douglas fir and larch logs processed at the plants, according to Tom Ray, the company’s vice president of Northwest Resources and Manufacturing

The shortage of logs largely resulted from harsh weather that hindered logging operations and interrupted the flow of logs to the plants, he said.

“Ever since last fall, we’ve been fighting the weather,” Ray said. “Last week, we missed three days (of log deliveries) just because it was too cold.”

The upcoming “breakup” season also figured into the company’s decision, Ray said. Logging operations cease when forest roads thaw out to prevent heavy trucks from damaging the roads. Breakup typically starts at the end of March and continues until early May.

“We’d like to stretch our logs and get through breakup without having to shut down completely, so this is a proactive step,” Ray said. “As soon as we can get through breakup and get the log flow back, we will certainly get back to 40 hours a week.”

No work schedule reductions are expected for the company’s sawmills in Columbia Falls and Evergreen, which process different tree species that are in adequate supply, Ray said.