Weyerhaeuser will close its lumber mill in Vanceboro this September, leading to the loss of 73 jobs, according to state filings.
“This closure is expected to be an indefinite curtailment, which will exceed 30 days, and will affect all employees at the New Bern Lumber Mill facility,” the notice stated. Workers have been informed that “their separation from employment will be permanent.” The mill will shut down on September 16, Business North Carolina reported.
Out of the 73 affected employees, ten have been offered positions at other Weyerhaeuser locations, primarily in management, superintendent, and human resources roles. Some of the workers are represented by the United Steel Workers International Union.
The company issued a statement explaining the decision:
“We can confirm that in response to a combination of site-specific and market-related factors, we are indefinitely curtailing operations at our sawmill in New Bern, North Carolina. We did not come to this decision lightly given the significant impact on our employees, their families, and the surrounding community, where we have a long history. We conducted a thorough analysis to evaluate the mill’s long-term viability and competitiveness, but due to challenging market conditions, as well as the facility’s cost structure, lack of scale, and limited integration with other operations, we made the difficult decision to indefinitely curtail operations at the mill.
“Our New Bern sawmill has a workforce of approximately 75 employees, and we are working to minimize the impact of the curtailment by providing opportunities at other Weyerhaeuser operations for certain employees and transition resources for those who are eligible. We will continue to monitor market conditions to determine whether there’s an opportunity to resume operations in the future.”
Weyerhaeuser, one of the world’s largest private owners of timberlands, began operations in 1900 and currently owns or controls about 10.5 million acres of timberlands in the U.S., along with managing 14 million acres of timberlands under long-term licenses in Canada. In 2023, the company reported $7.7 billion in net sales and employed around 9,300 people globally.
Weyerhaeuser operates at least five facilities in North Carolina, including a distribution center in Charlotte. Vanceboro is located approximately 25 miles southeast of Greenville, near New Bern.
