San Group has purchased another mill in Port Alberni, Canada. The Surrey-based forestry group bought the former Chalwood Forest Products mill on Hector Road a month ago, and is already operating while they clean up the site.
Chalwood used to cut yellow cedar exclusively for the Japanese temple market, and was able to cut 20–40-foot long timbers. The Chalwood mill had been shut down for more than a year, owner Kamal Sanghera said. San Group was still able to hire back “most” of the employees laid off when the mill shut down.
There are 15 workers operating the mill right now, and when it is up to full capacity Sanghera says another 15 will be hired for a total staff of 30. Bruce Molander is the general manager overseeing the new San Forest Specialty mill on Hector Road.
Acquisition of the new mill means San Group can literally take a tree from harvest to home, says Sanghera. Kamal and his brother Suki were at the new mill site on Friday, April 24 to watch the first official load of specialty-cut lumber leave the site.
San Group has a mill at the former Coulson Sawmill site—which they purchased a few years ago—that can handle large logs. They are building a second mill for smaller diameter logs at the Coulson site, and now San Forest Specialty will be able to handle longer logs and lower grade wood. They will also be able to use more of the fibre, which will help once the remanufacturing plant at San’s third site, on Stamp Avenue, is complete.
