Interfor will indefinitely curtail operations at its Nairn Centre facility in Nairn & Hyman Township, about 55 kilometres west of Sudbury, and at its Gogama facility, about 190 kilometres north of Sudbury, in Ontario. In a statement issued April 23, the company cites weak market conditions, U.S. softwood lumber duties and other trade actions, and ongoing cost pressures.

The company said there is no restart timeline at this time. It says the Nairn Centre operation will continue for a limited period to process existing log inventory, with the sawmill expected to operate into early to mid-June and the planer into late June, subject to confirmation.

The decision will affect employees and the broader Nairn community, and it says it is working with stakeholders as the curtailment is implemented. The company did not provide a count of employees expected to be affected.

Interfor acquired the Nairn and Gogama sawmills in 2022 as part of a $490-million cash deal to take over EACOM Timber Corp. and its assets, including sawmills in Ear Falls, Elk Lake, Gogama, Nairn Centre, and Timmins, plus an engineered wood plant in Sault Ste. Marie and additional assets in Quebec.

The Gogama site is about 190 kilometres north of Sudbury, and the Nairn site is about 55 kilometres west of Sudbury. Interfor previously said it shut down the Gogama site for two weeks last fall and then made permanent layoffs of 25 people, citing market challenges after a new 10% tariff was added on top of an existing 35% tariff.

Interfor also said it indefinitely shut down production at the Ear Falls sawmill last fall, putting 150 people out of work. The company said it was temporarily reducing lumber production by approximately 145 million board feet between September and December last year, affecting Canadian and U.S. operations.

Interfor is expected to release first-quarter results on May 14, followed by an analyst conference call on May 15.