Flooding, severe weather forces West Fraser to reduce output

The high water in southern B.C. is affecting the bottom line of West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd.

In a statement issued Tuesday, the diversified wood products producer said the severe weather and flooding has caused transportation disruptions to rail and truck routes, including limiting access to ports for overseas shipments.

During the second half of November, lumber shipments have dropped 25-30% while exports of pulp through the Port of Vancouver have averaged 20% of normal volumes, the company said.

"While West Fraser is utilizing alternative transportation routes and methods to the extent they are available to continue servicing customers, the magnitude and duration of the impact from current weather events remains uncertain," the company stated. 

"Therefore, West Fraser has reduced operating schedules at multiple western Canadian locations and will continue to make such adjustments as necessary in order to manage inventory levels, raw material supplies and our integrated fibre supply chain."

These issues are now impacting West Fraser’s pulp operations as we are unable to ship product and have run out of accessible storage.

A West Fraser spokesperson said curtailments at both pulp operations in Quesnel began on Monday.

The Cariboo Pulp and Paper was shut down for the next 16 days, affecting 160 employees and the Quesnel River Pulp will be running at one third of its usual capacity for next two weeks, affecing 60 employees.

Additionally, the weekend shift at West Fraser's Williams Lake plywood mill was curtailed but the mill is still operating on its regular schedule Monday through Friday.

"Throughout this time, we will continue to monitor the transportation situation, provide updates and adjust our plans as necessary. Our hope is to see our employees come back to work as soon as possible," the spokesperson said.

The company operates 60 facilities in Canada, the United States and Europe, including a dozen in B.C.'s Central Interior.

A spokesperson fro Canfor, a major employer in Prince George and area, said the company is assessing the impact of the transportation backlogs.