Georgia-Pacific announced on September 29, 2021 that it is modernizing one of its premier sawmills in its Pineland, Texas lumber complex with a $120 million investment. Construction is expected to begin early next year and is scheduled to be completed in late 2022.
The Pineland Lumber Complex was built in the 1910s and is the largest business in Sabine County, where Pineland, Texas, sits. The investment should increase the mills’ overall production.
The modifications include a new sawmill which will replace the existing stud mill that was built in the 1960s. The new mill will have the ability to produce 450 million board feet of dimensional lumber each year once operational and running at full capacity, compared to the 380 million it can currently produce. It should also increase the number of trucks delivering the wood from 250 to 300 loads each day.
“This is significant to our region’s economy,” said Texas State Representative Chris Paddie. “This new investment will enhance the existing jobs within the facility and further stimulate the economy by providing additional indirect jobs. Georgia-Pacific’s expansion is an excellent opportunity for Sabine County to grow its economy.”
The investment will also expand its log yard storage, add a new debarking, log processing line, a continuous dry kiln, and a new high-speed planer to the lumber complex.
Georgia-Pacific chose to expand the Pineland Lumber Complex for many reasons, including the area’s workforce and natural resources. Georgia-Pacific Lumber President Fritz Mason said, “With the mill favorably located in the middle of the Southern Pine Forest of deep East Texas coupled with an experienced workforce that dates back to several generations, Pineland Lumber is well-positioned to prosper for years to come.”
According to Mason, the same can be said for Georgia-Pacific’s 12 lumber operations. “Lumber has a longstanding tradition within our company, we were founded as a lumber company over 90 years ago, — and we are recognized as one of the leading lumber producers in the country. The Pineland Lumber Complex capital improvement project is just one of many investments Georgia-Pacific is making at its lumber mills throughout the country. We are committed to this industry and providing our customers with quality products that they have come to know and trust since 1927.”
https://gp.com/news/2021/10/georgia-pacific-to-modernize-pineland-texas-lumber-complex-with-120-million-investment