Mill closure hits hard in northwest Montana

By The Associated Press

Published: June 24, 2016, 5:11 PM

KALISPELL, Mont. (AP) — The expected loss of about 200 jobs in northwestern Montana resulting from timber giant Weyerhaeuser’s purchase of Plum Creek Timber will be a punch in the gut for a community that was starting to recover from the 2009 closure of an aluminum plant, officials said.

Weyerhaeuser officials said Wednesday they will permanently close the Columbia Falls lumber and plywood mill that was part of its $8.44 billion purchase of Plum Creek this spring. ... Weyerhaeuser will continue to operate three Montana mills, including a medium-density fiberboard mill in Columbia Falls, and the net job loss is expected to be about 100.

On top of that, up to 100 administrative jobs in Columbia Falls were already in the process of being eliminated or moved to Weyerhaeuser’s Seattle headquarters.

It’s bad news for Columbia Falls, which was coming back from the 90 jobs lost when the Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. closed seven years ago, state Sen. Dee Brown, R-Hungry Horse, told the Missoulian.

Response Team Dispatched to Assist Displaced Workers

Flathead Job Service and FVCC lay out strategy following lumber-mill closures

By Tristan Scott // Jun 25, 2016 // 6:40PM

As soon as news broke that Weyerhaeuser Co. was shuttering two of its timber mills in Columbia Falls – a move that will eliminate roughly 100 jobs – the staff at Flathead Job Service and administrators at Flathead Valley Community College began laying plans to assist the incoming tide of jobless mill workers.

The closures were announced June 22, just four months after Weyerhaeuser absorbed Plum Creek in an $8.44 billion deal that immediately raised the specter of consolidation and closures. .. Although workers said they expected changes, they didn’t think they would be this drastic, or come so soon.

In addition to the 100 jobs lost in the mill closures, Weyerhaeuser is also shifting administrative positions to the Seattle headquarters, meaning the company will close its main office in Columbia Falls by the end of the year and an additional 100 administrative and office jobs will disappear.

It’s a massive hit to a resilient community glimmering with growth following last year’s closure of the Columbia Falls Aluminum Company’s permanent closure.