Mackenzie

Bracing for looming lumber war, B.C. town cautiously hopeful

By Chris Brown

Mackenzie, B.C., hopes reinvented sawmill will help Trump-proof community. Bracing for uncertainty under the new U.S. administration, British Columbia’s lumber producers are hoping diversification will be the key to survival. They already made profound changes to the industry over the past 10 years, moving away from a total reliance on the American market in the wake of a lumber war between Canada and the U.S. In 2015, B.C. sent 21 per cent of its lumber exports — over $1.14 billion worth — to China. A decade ago, that market was almost non-existent. One B.C. operation that adapted is the Duz Cho sawmill in Mackenzie, which sells all of its product in China and Saudi Arabia… The industry’s biggest players, including Canfor and West Fraser, have spent tens of millions of dollars to make their Canadian mills as modern and efficient as possible to help withstand the impact of the duties.

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