Sawmills are closing all over B.C., and hundreds of workers/loggers are being laid off from small towns (about 400 alone in Campbell river up-Island) due to lack of demand for B.C. forest products in U.S. homebuilding industry.
Shutdowns,layoffs hit largest West Coast forest company Western Forest Products closes most of its logging operations as demand drops
April 30, 2008
The West Coast's largest forest company, Western Forest Products, announced Tuesday it is shutting down most of its logging operations and laying off more than 800 loggers and contractors as demand for wood products continues to tumble world-wide.
Logging is to shut down at the end of next week so the forest company can bring its log inventories in line with its lumber orders, Western's chief operating officer Duncan Kerr said Tuesday.
The reason is not just the U.S. housing collapse any more, Kerr said. Lumber that once fed U.S. homebuilders is now being diverted to other markets around the world, leading to a global erosion in demand.
Shutdowns,layoffs hit largest West Coast forest company
This is just one of many knock-on effects affecting various aspects of the global economy...