Irving pumps $38M into Chipman, Doaktown forest operations

J.D. Irving Ltd. rolled out two more major investments in its forestry operations Friday, pledging to pump a total of $38 million into sawmill operations in Chipman and a centre inDoaktown.

The announcements follow on this week's commitment by the Alwardgovernment to increase the allocation of softwood the forest industry will be able to cut on Crown land.

The company will invest $23 million in its Grand Lake Timber Sawmill, beginning this fall.

"We're going to spend capital to make sure that New Brunswick, and particularly rural New Brunswick, get the jobs and the opportunities that it should have," said company president Jim Irving at the Chipmanannouncement. "We are committed to that."

Irving says this will result in 16 new jobs at the sawmill, 96 direct construction jobs and 49 indirect construction jobs.

Also, in the woodlands division, the investment will create the equivalent of 39 full-time direct jobs, including season jobs, and 27 indirect jobs.

In Doaktown, Irving is putting $15 million into the White Pine Centre of Excellence.

Work in Doaktown will being in the spring of 2015, creating 78 direct jobs in construction and 40 indirect construction jobs.

Forty new jobs will be created in the woodlands division along with 28 indirect jobs.

The improvements are designed to create a 10 per cent increase in lumber yield for the company.

On Thursday, Irving announced $450-million in upgrades to its Irving Pulp & Paper mill in Saint John.

The announcements have all come within 48 hours of the provincial government announcing a 21 per cent increase in the amount of softwood industrial forest companies will be permitted to cut on Crown land.