Interfor to curtail Gilchris sawmill

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Interfor’s Gilchrist sawmill is planning to lay off 130 of its 150 workers in late June and curtail its mill due to weak economic conditions and challenges presented by the COVID-19 lockdown order.

The layoffs will commence by department depending on workload, said Andrew Horahan, vice president of western operations for International Forest Products Limited (Interfor), which owns the Gilchrist sawmill.

“We know this is a difficult time for our employees, and curtailing the Gilchrist Division was not a decision we made lightly,” said Horahan.

In a statement, Horahan blamed the decision to halt timber production on “a challenging economic situation and the difficulties of COVID-19.” Lockdown measures have decimated jobs across the state, pushing the state unemployment rate up to 14.2%.

The decision to mothball the mill comes at a time when prices for lumber are increasing. Framing lumber prices have increased 13% since May 1, according to the National Association of Homebuilders.

Sales for lumber and other supplies have boomed at big box stores such as Home Depot as Americans have found time for home projects during the pandemic.

The mill in Gilchrist, located in northern Klamath County, specializes in high-grade ponderosa and lodgepole pine boards for the interior home market and produces 80 million board feet per year.

The Gilchrist mill and the town that surrounds it were founded in 1938 by Frank Gilchrist and h

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