AUGUST 2008: AROUND THE STATE
Boardman mill to create 85 new permanent jobs
BOARDMAN A Boardman tree grower has received $250,000 from
state lottery funds to build and purchase parts for a
state-of-the-art sawmill in Morrow County, a project
that’s expected to bring 85 permanent full-time jobs to
the area.
Scheduled to be finished in September, the Upper Columbia Mill
will sit in the middle of a 30,000-acre hardwood plantation
owned and managed by Greenwood Tree Farms. The plantation
employs 150 people.
A separate company, Collins Companies, will be responsible for
operating the mill and selling the wood products it produces.
The mill plans to produce 100 million board feet per year.
Sustainability was an important aspect of the business
partnership. Because the mill is located on the plantation,
harvested trees will travel less than three miles on average to
the mill, helping reduce transportation cost and pollution and
conserving energy.
The farm plants and harvests more than 600,000 trees annually
and is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. Lee
Jimeson, a manager for Collins Companies, says the mill workers
will be trained in the “natural step principles” to
reduce the environmental footprint of the
operaton.
JASON SHUFFLER
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