North America entered September with a growing list of sawmill closures and production curtailments. The pressure remains strongest in Canada, but recent cases in Colorado, Alabama, Louisiana and California show that the adjustment is no longer confined to British Columbia.

The reasons differ by region. Western Canadian producers continue to contend with expensive sawlogs and declining timber availability. Ontario and Quebec mills face weak lumber prices, high transport and operating costs, and duties on shipments to the United States. In the US, low-cost southern mills remain comparatively well positioned, but older and smaller operations are finding it harder to compete.