Cave Junction lumbermill to shut down, again


A log shortage dictated the second closure in three years for the Rough & Ready Lumber sawmill.

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About 70 full-timers had been working at the mill four miles south of Cave Junction. The mill is believed to be the second-largest employer in Cave Junction after Taylor’s Sausage.

The mill shut down for a year in 2013-14, but was reopened with $5 million in upgrades with renewed hopes for a stable federal timber supply. [Co-owner Jennifer Phillippi] and other mill owners blame federal agencies for lagging timber supply.

(READ MORE: Mail Tribune)

Steve Swanson, president of Swanson Group, told the Mail Tribune that the Glendale sawmill is also facing a shortage.