Post by Poor Richard on Feb 14, 2023 19:38:20 GMT -7
After second fire, R-Y Timber to close Livingston sawmill
The Livingston Enterprise reports: "R-Y Timber Inc. is shutting down its sawmill in Livingston about a week after a structure fire broke out at the site, the company’s general manager confirmed on Tuesday.
R-Y Timber General Manager Dan Richards said a structure fire destroyed the yard’s planer — a tool that smooths boards into lumber — on Sept. 12. That set operations back, but the company immediately decided to rebuild.
The company was four to five weeks away from starting up a new planer when another fire sparked in the early morning hours on Feb. 7. This time, the flames damaged the mill itself, taking out the roof, according to Richards.
With both the planer and the mill down, management at R-Y Timber anticipated it would be another year before work could resume as normal. In the meantime, rough cut boards were waiting to be planed.
”It’s time-sensitive. You can’t leave logs sitting there together,” Richards said. “They will start deteriorating.”
Because of the challenges, R-Y Timber decided to close its Livingston mill, where approximately 70 employees work. Richards said the company is preparing to lay off quite a few people around the end of the week, though it aims to keep some workers to organize and clean up.
“Our hearts go out to our employees,” he said. “They are very hardworking, very dedicated and I’m sure they’ll be able to find jobs. They’re talented as well.”
Julia Altemus, executive director of the Montana Wood Products Association, announced that R-Y Timber would be shutting down its plant in Livingston during a House Appropriations Committee meeting in the Montana Legislature on Monday.
The closure means there are now six major sawmills left in the state.
“In the last 30 years, we have now lost 31 mills, over 4,000 employees and another 100 employees are now out of work,” she said.
The Livingston mill is the second of R-Y Timber’s to close. In 2020, the company shut down operations at a mill in Townsend, citing a loss of timber supply due to frequent litigation against logging projects. A fire also started in the Townsend mill in early 2022.
Richards said that R-Y is still under contract to take care of its work on federal timber sales. The company has been thinning large-diameter trees as part of the Custer Gallatin National Forest’s Bozeman Municipal Watershed project.
The 4,700-acre timber project in the mountains south of Bozeman is aimed at protecting the city’s water supply in the event that a large wildfire spreads along the Gallatin front, near Bozeman and Hyalite creeks.
In a statement, Montana’s Republican U.S. Congressman Matt Rosendale said he’s disappointed to hear that R-Y Timber will not reopen after last week’s fire at the Livingston mill. His office is working with the company to provide support for the displaced workers and their families.
“Serving as one of our nation’s leading suppliers of Rocky Mountain-grown timber for over 25 years, this closure will have a devastating economic impact on Livingston and the surrounding communities,” he said.
Montana’s Republican U.S. Sen. Steve Daines also said he was disappointed to hear the company was shutting down its mill in Livingston in a statement issued on Tuesday. Daines added that he stands by R-Y Timber and Livingston during this hard time.
“R-Y Timber and the good paying jobs forestry and lumber create for Livingston are extremely important to the Montana economy,” he said. “I will continue to advocate for responsible management of our forests and address litigation against responsible projects, which will create more jobs and stronger communities.”
Montana’s Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester also weighed in on the closure, saying in a statement that the closure is “tough news for Livingston.”
“I’m ready to help the region rebound by working to ensure folks have access to resources they need to support their families and communities,” Tester said.
According to a 2021 press release from the American Forest Resource Council, the late Ron Yanke of Boise, Idaho, created R-Y Timber in the 1980s. He bought the Livingston sawmill from Brand-S Corporation in 1996.
The Yanke family has operated mills in Montana, Idaho, Oregon and California over the last four decades.
Altemus announced the closure as she was testifying in support of House Bill 424, sponsored by Rep. Llew Jones, R-Conrad. If it passes, the bill will bolster the state’s reserve and contingency funds and double its emergency fund.
Jones said HB 424 would increase the governor’s emergency fund from $16 million to $32 million through the 2025 biennium. He noted that the state fire suppression fund is one of its primary accounts.
Altemus said logging infrastructure and mill infrastructure has to be maintained, or state and federal agencies won’t be able to do their work. The investment from HB 424 will allow the remaining six mills to continue to operate, she said."
R-Y Timber General Manager Dan Richards said a structure fire destroyed the yard’s planer — a tool that smooths boards into lumber — on Sept. 12. That set operations back, but the company immediately decided to rebuild.
The company was four to five weeks away from starting up a new planer when another fire sparked in the early morning hours on Feb. 7. This time, the flames damaged the mill itself, taking out the roof, according to Richards.
With both the planer and the mill down, management at R-Y Timber anticipated it would be another year before work could resume as normal. In the meantime, rough cut boards were waiting to be planed.
”It’s time-sensitive. You can’t leave logs sitting there together,” Richards said. “They will start deteriorating.”
Because of the challenges, R-Y Timber decided to close its Livingston mill, where approximately 70 employees work. Richards said the company is preparing to lay off quite a few people around the end of the week, though it aims to keep some workers to organize and clean up.
“Our hearts go out to our employees,” he said. “They are very hardworking, very dedicated and I’m sure they’ll be able to find jobs. They’re talented as well.”
Julia Altemus, executive director of the Montana Wood Products Association, announced that R-Y Timber would be shutting down its plant in Livingston during a House Appropriations Committee meeting in the Montana Legislature on Monday.
The closure means there are now six major sawmills left in the state.
“In the last 30 years, we have now lost 31 mills, over 4,000 employees and another 100 employees are now out of work,” she said.
The Livingston mill is the second of R-Y Timber’s to close. In 2020, the company shut down operations at a mill in Townsend, citing a loss of timber supply due to frequent litigation against logging projects. A fire also started in the Townsend mill in early 2022.
Richards said that R-Y is still under contract to take care of its work on federal timber sales. The company has been thinning large-diameter trees as part of the Custer Gallatin National Forest’s Bozeman Municipal Watershed project.
The 4,700-acre timber project in the mountains south of Bozeman is aimed at protecting the city’s water supply in the event that a large wildfire spreads along the Gallatin front, near Bozeman and Hyalite creeks.
In a statement, Montana’s Republican U.S. Congressman Matt Rosendale said he’s disappointed to hear that R-Y Timber will not reopen after last week’s fire at the Livingston mill. His office is working with the company to provide support for the displaced workers and their families.
“Serving as one of our nation’s leading suppliers of Rocky Mountain-grown timber for over 25 years, this closure will have a devastating economic impact on Livingston and the surrounding communities,” he said.
Montana’s Republican U.S. Sen. Steve Daines also said he was disappointed to hear the company was shutting down its mill in Livingston in a statement issued on Tuesday. Daines added that he stands by R-Y Timber and Livingston during this hard time.
“R-Y Timber and the good paying jobs forestry and lumber create for Livingston are extremely important to the Montana economy,” he said. “I will continue to advocate for responsible management of our forests and address litigation against responsible projects, which will create more jobs and stronger communities.”
Montana’s Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester also weighed in on the closure, saying in a statement that the closure is “tough news for Livingston.”
“I’m ready to help the region rebound by working to ensure folks have access to resources they need to support their families and communities,” Tester said.
According to a 2021 press release from the American Forest Resource Council, the late Ron Yanke of Boise, Idaho, created R-Y Timber in the 1980s. He bought the Livingston sawmill from Brand-S Corporation in 1996.
The Yanke family has operated mills in Montana, Idaho, Oregon and California over the last four decades.
Altemus announced the closure as she was testifying in support of House Bill 424, sponsored by Rep. Llew Jones, R-Conrad. If it passes, the bill will bolster the state’s reserve and contingency funds and double its emergency fund.
Jones said HB 424 would increase the governor’s emergency fund from $16 million to $32 million through the 2025 biennium. He noted that the state fire suppression fund is one of its primary accounts.
Altemus said logging infrastructure and mill infrastructure has to be maintained, or state and federal agencies won’t be able to do their work. The investment from HB 424 will allow the remaining six mills to continue to operate, she said."