Western Forest Products
Encyclopedia
Western Forest Products Inc. is a Canadian lumber company based in Vancouver in British Columbia
, Canada
.
as Doman's Lumber & Transport Ltd..
In 1980 Doman Industries formed Western Forest Products as a joint venture with two other BC forest companies. In the 1990s there were severe financial problems, culminating in the Doman Scandal
. In 2004 Western Forest Products acquired the assets of Doman Industries.
, Nanaimo, Port Alberni (two mills: Alberni Pacific and Somass) and Saltair
. Products are transported to customers via ship, barge, rail or truck.
Sales for 2009 were $580M, distributed geographically as 41% Canada, 37% Asia, 14% USA. Sales by product were 75% lumber
, 17% logs, 7% sawmill by-products (e.g. sawdust
).
Western Forest Products operates the last logging railroad in North America, the Englewood Railway
, purchased from Canfor
in 2006.
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
History
Doman Singh bought a sawmill near Duncan in 1905. In 1953, his grandsons Harbanse "Herb" Doman, Ted Doman and Gordon Doman founded Doman Lumber Company, and 1955 incorporatedIncorporation (business)
Incorporation is the forming of a new corporation . The corporation may be a business, a non-profit organisation, sports club, or a government of a new city or town...
as Doman's Lumber & Transport Ltd..
In 1980 Doman Industries formed Western Forest Products as a joint venture with two other BC forest companies. In the 1990s there were severe financial problems, culminating in the Doman Scandal
Doman Scandal
In 1996, Bill Bennett was convicted under British Columbia securities laws of insider trading involving the sale of shares in Doman Industries , a Duncan, British Columbia company two years after he stepped down as Premier....
. In 2004 Western Forest Products acquired the assets of Doman Industries.
Operations
Eight sawmills are located at Chemainus, Cowichan Bay, Duke Point, LadysmithLadysmith, British Columbia
Ladysmith is a town located on the 49th parallel on the east coast of Vancouver Island British Columbia, Canada. The local economy is based on forestry, tourism and agriculture. A hillside location adjacent to a sheltered harbour form the natural characteristics of the community., the population...
, Nanaimo, Port Alberni (two mills: Alberni Pacific and Somass) and Saltair
Saltair, British Columbia
Saltair is an unincorporated community with a population of 1,800 on the east coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada located between Chemainus and Ladysmith. It is within the Cowichan Valley Regional District....
. Products are transported to customers via ship, barge, rail or truck.
Sales for 2009 were $580M, distributed geographically as 41% Canada, 37% Asia, 14% USA. Sales by product were 75% lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
, 17% logs, 7% sawmill by-products (e.g. sawdust
Sawdust
Sawdust is a by-product of cutting lumber with a saw, composed of fine particles of wood. It can present a hazard in manufacturing industries, especially in terms of its flammability....
).
Western Forest Products operates the last logging railroad in North America, the Englewood Railway
Englewood Railway
Englewood Railway is a logging railroad on northern Vancouver Island, Canada. Headquartered in Woss, the line runs from Vernon Lake, through Woss, past Nimpkish Lake Provincial Park to Beaver Cove...
, purchased from Canfor
Canfor
Canfor Corporation is a Canadian integrated forest products company based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The company traces its roots to the late 1930s, when brothers-in-law John G. Prentice and L.L.G. "Poldi" Bentley and their families left their native Austria just before the outbreak of World...
in 2006.