Columbia axes 83 at Hearst particleboard mill.

• Position: IN BRIEF - Columbia Forest Products Inc. - Brief article

Columbia Forest Products is closing its Hearst particleboard plant putting 83 people out of work.

In a Sept. 12 announcement, the Portland, Oregon-based multi-national blames high energy costs, low product prices, the strength of the Canadian dollar, softening demand and a "growing market over-capacity" for the mill closure.

"We regret that this decision is necessary, but the market conditions we're facing simply prevent the particleboard operation from performing on a financially viable basis,"...