NORTH CLARENDON, Vt. (WCAX) – A southern Vermont lumber mill is closing its doors.
Mill River Lumber in Clarendon is the second lumber mill to close recently; A. Johnson Lumber in Bristol closed last year.
Workers at Mill River Lumber were only able to confirm the mill is in the process of closing, but did not give a reason why.
The mill was created back in 1983, and according to its website, specializes in creating lumber out of eastern white pine, a tree found throughout New England.
The lumber yard in Clarendon has also sold mulch to the general public throughout its time.
Ken Gagnon owns a lumber yard in nearby Pittsford, Gagnon Lumber, and knew the owners at the mill and said they even collaborated with Mill River in the past.
“It was kind of sad to hear. We knew they had a new owner and they were going pretty good guns and they were hiring a new crew,” Gagnon said. “We knew that the lumber business was not doing so well, that the pine business especially had slowed down, and a number of places hadn’t slowed down on their log intake,” Gagnon said.
The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation say the last 18 months have hit both loggers and mills hard.