NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release 2010FOR0175-001273 Oct. 18, 2010

Ministry of Forests and Range

 

NATIONAL CHOICE MILL OPENS DUE TO GROWING CHINA MARKET

 

MCBRIDE – National Choice Specialty Wood saw mill re-opened and is providing 10 jobs, thanks to the growing demand from China for B.C. wood products, announced Minister of Forests and Range Pat Bell and Prince George-Valemount MLA Shirley Bond today.

 

            “Today’s National Choice Specialty Wood mill reopening is proof that our China strategy is working and paying off for both large and small-sized mills,” said Bell. “This is the fourth mill this year to dedicate a significant portion of its production to the growing China market.”

 

            National Choice Bio Fuels Industries bought the mill assets from Dore River and have hired 10 workers. The mill will produce 25,000 – 35,000 board feet per day, and half of the rough cut metric dimension lumber is destined for China.

 

“Signs of economic recovery are happening all over the province, and it is essential that we see that recovery include northern communities like McBride,” said Bond. “Every job matters, especially in areas that have been significantly impacted by the downturn in the forest industry. This is good news for the Robson Valley.”

 

            “Opening this speciality sawmill was an easy choice for National Choice,” said National Choice Bio Fuels chief executive Denis Pelletier. “There’s a demand for lumber, a skilled work force and an economically viable fibre supply, and we were able to bring these together to make it all work.”

 

McBride Community Forest and other local sources will be supplying volume to run the saw mill. McBride Community Forest is the largest employer in McBride and can harvest up to 50,000 cubic metres per year.

 

“Community forests create the opportunity for small milling operations by providing wood into the local market,” said Rick Thompson, chair, McBride Community Forest Corporation board of directors. “The government’s ongoing expansion of community forests is a key driver of rural economic development.”

 

 

            2010 is shaping up to be another record-breaking year in terms of lumber exports to China. As of August, more than 1.5 billion board feet have been shipped into China, compared to 975 million board feet over the same eight-month period in 2009.

 

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Contact:

Cheekwan Ho Public Affairs Bureau 250 387-8482

 

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