A new cant mill in McBride is making use of wood that most other mills reject.
Operating on the former TRC Cedar property, General Biofuels’ McBride is processing strictly small logs no larger than 12 inch butt size with 6 inch tops – and no cedar.
The mill opened in late July.
Mill Manager Al Miller says they are producing 4×4, 5×5, 6×6 and 8×8 lumber up to 13 feet long. The residual wood chips are sold to local farmers and to a pellet mill in Prince George.
The mill has already hired 10 full-time employees and three part-time employees. They intend to process approx. 80,0000 cubic metres/year serving Canadian and International markets. Abroad, the wood will likely be used in construction; domestically it will likely be used for oil rig mats and landscaping, among other things.
The mill has sourced its fibre (Douglas Fir, Hemlock, Pine, Spruce, Balsam) from the McBride and the Dunster Community Forests thus far.
McBride Biofuels CEO Dunster Meierhofer says operations will be year-round, starting with one shift and expanding to two based on demand.
Meierhofer says General Biofuels (the parent company) chose McBride because of the existing business relationships it had in the area and because of less competition for fibre.
Miller, who is working full-time managing the mill, is also still working in real estate.
