The shortage of paper fiber caused by logging restrictions in British Columbia, Canada, is becoming increasingly serious. Earlier this month, Canada’s Canfor Pulp announced that it would permanently close the pulp production line of its Prince George plant in British Columbia. The production line can produce 280000 tons of NBSK commercial pulp every year. The closure is expected to be completed by the end of the first quarter of this year and will affect about 300 jobs in the company.

Canfor Pulp explained that in recent years, several sawmills in the Prince George area have been permanently closed due to the reduction of allowable harvesting and the difficulty in obtaining cost competitive fibers. This has had a significant impact on the company’s pulp production. According to the company, the special paper business of Prince George’s factory will not be affected and will continue to operate.

Coincidentally, on January 18, Mercer International announced that its Celgar pulp mill in British Columbia, Canada, was planned to shut down for about three weeks due to the lack of fiber supply, which is expected to start in 20233. Celgar plant produces about 500000 tons of NBSK pulp every year, and the shutdown is expected to affect the capacity of 30000 tons.