General manager
STARKE—West Fraser announced on January 9 that it is closing its Maxville sawmill, about four miles north of the Bradford-Clay County line on U.S. 301.
The company said the closure will impact around 80 employees and expects to mitigate the impact on affected workers by providing work opportunities at other company operations.
West Fraser operates another sawmill between Starke and Lake Butler near State Road 100.
The company said in the same news release that it is also curtailing operations at its Huttig, Arkansas sawmill.
“High fiber costs at Maxville and the current low-price commodity environment have impaired the ability of both mills to profitably operate,” the company said. “The closure of Maxville and the indefinite curtailment of the Huttig sawmill better aligns our U.S. lumber capacity with demand.”
