Plummer lumber mill shutting down in July

PLUMMER — At its peak, the lumber mill here employed 90 people. In the last few years, that number dropped to about 22. Come July, the mill will close.

“The supply of timber that was available with that mill has been declining and reached the point where being able to operate the mill on a steady basis was becoming challenging,” said Andrew Miller, Stimson Lumber CEO.

That, combined with some key employees retiring and a tough sales pitch for recruiting new ones, led to the decision to shutter the mill. It will keep operating through July to consume the remaining log inventory.

“We hung on for a while. It’s easy to foresee the future with timber supplies because it’s a slow-moving process and easily measured, but we could see this day arriving a number of years ago,” Miller said.

Those currently working at the mill will be offered jobs at other Stimson operations, he said.

The mill site is currently leased from the Coeur d'Alene Tribe and was taken over from Plummer Forest Operations in 2006. 

Miller called the site “a highly efficient mill,” but added that it currently relies on a niche product, primarily processing small trees 4-7 inches in diameter. 

The mill site will still be used as inventory storage and railroading facility for nearby mills in St. Maries and Priest River.

    Stimson Lumber Company's Plummer mill will close and move to inventory storage for the company this summer. Stimson CEO Andrew Miller said the mill was making money but the impact of the current wildland urban interface, or the “WUI,” has made the future dependability of the operation and stability of cost to be called into question. The site in Plummer is currently leased from the Coeur d'Alene Tribe and was taken over from Plummer Forest Operations in 2006.