NORTH CAROLINA (From news reports) -- Weyerhaeuser will close a lumber mill in Vanceboro in September, resulting in the loss of 73 jobs, according to paperwork filed with the state.
"This closure is expected to be an indefinite curtailment, which will exceed 30 days, and will affect all employees at the New Bern Lumber Mill facility," according to a notice filed with the state required by federal law.
The filing goes on to say that all workers have been notified that "their separation from employment will be permanent." The mill will close Sept. 16, according to the company.
Ten of the affected 73 workers have been offered other jobs at other Weyerhaeuser locations. Those 10 work in management, superintendent and human resources positions. Some workers are represented by United Steel Workers International Union.
The company provided the following statement:
"We can confirm that in response to a combination of site-specific and market-related factors, we are indefinitely curtailing operations at our sawmill in New Bern, North Carolina. We did not come to this decision lightly given the significant impact on our employees, their families and the surrounding community, where we have a long history. We conducted a thorough analysis to evaluate the mill's long-term viability and competitiveness, but due to challenging market conditions, as well as the facility's cost structure, lack of scale, and limited integration with other operations, we made the difficult decision to indefinitely curtail operations at the mill.
"Our New Bern sawmill has a workforce of approximately 75 employees, and we are working to minimize the impact of the curtailment by providing opportunities at other Weyerhaeuser operations for certain employees and transition resources for those who are eligible. We will continue to monitor market conditions to determine whether there's an opportunity to resume operations in the future."
Based in Seattle, Weyerhaeuser is one of the world's largest private owners of timberlands, began operations in 1900 and today owns or controls about 10.5 million acres of timberlands in the U.S., as well as 14 million acres of timberlands managed under long-term licenses in Canada. In 2023, the company generated $7.7 billion in net sales and employed approximately 9,300 people who serve customers worldwide.
Weyerhaeuser has at least five operations in North Carolina, including a distribution center in Charlotte, according to its website. Vanceboro is about 25 miles southeast of Greenville, toward New Bern.
In 2022, the forest sector in North Carolina had a total economic size of greater than $42.5 billion, predominantly in rural counties. Compared to 2021, the North Carolina forest sector realized a gain of $7.3 billion in 2022 in total economic activities across the state.
In 2022, the forest sector directly employed about 73,646 people with a payroll of $4.9 billion and a value-added (gross state product) of $7.5 billion. In 2022, the forest sector was the top manufacturing sector in the state, supporting over 2,700 more jobs than the food manufacturing sector in North Carolina, according to a report by N.C. State University.
