So far, so good at Canoe Forest Products Ltd. in Canoe, one of Salmon Arm鈥檚 largest employers.

Although B.C. companies such as Canfor and Tolko have been in the news recently due to mill closures or extended shutdowns, Canoe Forest Products, a plywood/veneer plant about five kilometres east of downtown Salmon Arm, has remained stable.

For instance, the plant didn鈥檛 shut down for any extra time over Christmas, which has happened in the past.

鈥淧lywood has held up better than some of the other commodities in terms of volume of sales and pricing,鈥� said Marcello Angelozzi, general manager. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been fairly consistent as far as sales goes. We haven鈥檛 seen a big dry spell, knock on wood, but it doesn鈥檛 mean we鈥檙e immune.鈥�

He said no changes to shifts or staffing are currently contemplated.

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Canoe Forest Products is a member of the Gorman Group of Companies, which also has operations in West 琉璃神社, Revelstoke, Lumby and Oroville, Washington.

Angelozzi said sister companies such as Revelstoke鈥檚 Downie Timber have seen some curtailments because of market slowdowns over the past year.

鈥淲e haven鈥檛 been spared as a group鈥� On the lumber side, they鈥檙e feeling it more than us,鈥� he said of the Canoe plant.

Any temporary shutdowns or staff reductions in the group of companies have been market driven at this point, he said.

Right now in the industry, for some companies sales aren鈥檛 strong enough and prices are lower than what makes operating worthwhile.

Currently Canoe Forest Products has about 200 employees. It sells nearly 100 per cent of its products domestically, across Canada.

Angelozzi said the long-term issue will be fibre supply 鈥� trees.

He said a combination of diminishing annual allowable cuts and old growth deferrals could have big impacts on future fibre supply.

The annual allowable cut is defined as the annual amount of timber that can be harvested on a sustainable basis within a defined forest area. Old growth deferrals are stops or pauses to logging to help protect ecosystems while First Nations, the province and other partners develop a new approach for old-growth forest management.

The industry will have to adjust to a new reality with less fibre, Angelozzi said.

Read more:

Read more: