The Rural Voice, 2003-05, Page 36Cut down
Tough times have been whittling down the number of
sawmills in southwestern Ontario but the good news is
there's still lots of competition
Story and photos by Keith Roulston
32 THE RURAL VOICE
Craig Hardwoods at Auburn,
(above) is one of the sawmills
which has shut down in recent
years. Still, the quality of
hardwoods grown in the region
means there is plenty of demand
for logs.
From the bankruptcy of RKM
Wood Products to the windup
of 136 years of business for
Craig Hardwoods, the last few years
haven't been good for sawmill
operators in midwestern Ontario but
it's all part of a natural cycle in the
industry.
Richard Keeso of Keeso and Sons
Lumber of Listowel, a 131 -year-old
family-owned company, explained to
the Huron -Perth Woodlot
Association recently that the typical
cycle in the industry has been seven
to nine years from good times to bad
and back again. In 1974 white ash
was the wood that rescued the
industry from a downturn. In the
1980s the furniture industry started
to shut down and mill owners had to
find a way to regroup and find new
markets.