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NewLife Forest Restoration and its operating entity, NewLife Forest Products, held a ribbon-cutting event with city officials and state representatives to officially mark the start of operations for its new 425,000-sq. ft. sawmill and remanufacturing facility in Bellemont, Az.
Set on 35 acres, the high-production sawmill, which represents an $80 million capital investment in the area, is designed to manufacture lumber, engineered wood products, biomass and residuals. At full capacity, it will produce as much as 120 million bd. ft. annually of lumber and engineered wood products, substantially increasing the regional log processing capacity necessary to restore the health of 2.4 million acres of Arizona forestland.
NewLife Forest Products is managing the Phase 1 Four Forest Restoration Initiative contract with the U.S. Forest Service, to restore health to the state’s forest, reduce wildfires, and revitalize local communities.
The Bellemont sawmill will run multiple lines for processing timber, capable of handling any size logs efficiently and will produce a wide range of products ranging from solid lumber to engineered wood products and bagged residuals. Operations include the sawmill, planer mill, kilns, and EWP lines. It will also allow NewLife to process profitably smaller fiber and ramp up to forest thinning and harvesting 30,000 acres per year.
“This facility helps NewLife to deliver on its vision for a sustainable model for forest management, without government subsidy,” said CEO Ted Dergousoff.
