Canfor is curtailing operations at all B.C. sawmills at the end of December.

The company says all sawmills, with the exception of WynnWood, will be shut down for two weeks beginning Dec. 23. Operations will resume on Jan. 6.

The WynnWood mill will be shut down for five days, and the curtailments are being blamed on the high cost of fibre and continued weak lumber markets.

“We deeply regret that our employees have been impacted by multiple curtailments in 2019, we know it has been a difficult year for our employees, contractors, their families and the local communities,” said Stephen Mackie, Senior Vice President of Canfor’s Canadian Operations, in a release.

“The curtailments are not a reflection on our hard-working employees or contractors. We appreciate all of their efforts and continued commitment to safety during these difficult times.”

Canfor estimates these curtailments will remove about 58 million board feet of production output, which is in addition to all previously announced capacity reductions.

The company has a number of sawmills in the Kootenay and in northern B.C. Its mill in Vavenby was shut down this summer, cutting 178 direct jobs.

The announcement comes nine days after Tolko announced a similar holiday curtailment at all of its B.C. operations.