Toilet Paper Shortages May Get Worse on Sawmill Slowdown in Canada
- Lumber capacity cuts come amid rising demand for wood chips
- ‘We need more of our sawmills running,’ industry group says
This article is for subscribers only.
Supply cuts that were supposed to bolster the beleaguered lumber market are now creating an unintended effect: the wood chips required to make sought-after toilet paper and wipes during the coronavirus pandemic are becoming more scarce.
Right now, about 25% of Canadian sawmill capacity is shut after producers from West Fraser Timber Co. and Canfor Corp. idled operations amid a price slump and poor outlook for spring building as the coronavirus spreads. That’s reduced the output of wood chips that pulp mills rely on to make everything from toilet paper and wipes to cardboard boxes and paper bags, said Derek Nighbor, president and chief executive officer of the Ottawa-based Forest Products Association of Canada.