Mercer has extended the maintenance shutdown at its Rosenthal NBSK pulp mill in Germany — the outage that began Sept. 4 was originally planned for two weeks but will now run through Sept. 30 (EUWID)
Forestry & Timber
Neiman Enterprises is closing Montrose Forest Products, Colorado's last large-scale sawmill (85+ MMBF/yr of studs, 90 jobs), with layoffs staggered from Sept. 8 to a Nov. 6 wind-down; the company cited a timber shortage (≈96–98% of logs came from public lands), rising fuel and transport costs, and a months-long failure to find a buyer, and local estimates put ~230 logging and ~85 indirect jobs at risk (Wood Central, Hoodline)
Oklahoma-based Twain Lumber Co. will invest $7.4M to reopen the ex-Teal Jones Southern yellow pine sawmill in Henry County, Virginia, idle since 2024 — 74 jobs, output rising to 108 MMBF/yr at full capacity, and a pledge to buy $51.2M of Virginia-grown timber over three years, backed by ~$360K in state grants (WSLS, Cardinal News)
US lumber futures fell below $555 on Sept. 10, a nine-month low, as the new round of US–Canada tariffs weighs on already-weak housing demand (Global Wood Markets Info)
Swedish softwood lumber production is down 7% year-to-date as sawmills cut shifts and close less competitive mills on high sawlog costs and weak prices, while Japan's July softwood lumber imports slumped to 265,000 m³ (–15% m/m, –27% y/y; Jan–Jul 1.906M m³, –15%) as European shipments dropped by a third (GWMI – Sweden, GWMI – Japan)
The Nordic sawlog correction is not crossing into Central Europe: Finnish spruce sits near €83/m³ and pine ~€78/m³ with Jan–Jul roundwood purchases down 19%, while Austrian spruce/fir averaged €122.50/m³ in August and southern German fresh spruce holds at €116–122/m³ (Global Wood Markets Info)
Industry Technology Vendors
Kadant — Announced a CEO succession plan: Michael Colwell, who led Kadant's wood-processing business and was CEO of Carmanah Design before its 2013 acquisition, becomes president and COO on Oct. 1 and CEO on Jan. 2, 2027; Jeffrey Powell moves to executive chairman and board chairman Jonathan Painter retires (GlobeNewswire)
