West Fraser Timber Co.’s announcement July 27 that it will purchase operations of the Gilman Cos. means that West Fraser will control more than 10% of all softwood sawmill capacity in North America, Forest Economic Advisors reports.
The economic analysis and consulting firm reported late July 27 that, by its count, the nearly 700 million board feet of capacity at six Gilman sawmills in Florida and Georgia will push West Fraser’s total capacity to 7.07 billion board feet.
Collectively, North America’s top 10 producers account for 48% of the industry’s 70.29 billion board feet of total capacity as of 2017’s second quarter (see pie chart above), FEA says. The Portland, Ore.-based firm maintains a database that tracks capacity, status, location, and ownership at more than 800 active mills and nearly 1,000 mills of all types in the U.S. and Canada.
