By Larry Mauter
LCSWA member
For growers of Douglas-fir in Linn County, sooner or later the Santiam Mill near Waterloo will come into focus.
Built by Weyerhaeuser in 2008, it is an economic powerhouse that spits out finished product at around 400 million bf per year.
Put another way, that’s about “1.2 million boards a week,” explained Troy Nokes, a Weyerhaeuser manager, during an Aug. 19 morning tour conducted for the Linn County Small Woodlands Association.
Total employment at the mill is about 160 people. It is Weyerhaeuser’s most productive mill (Longview, Wash., is next) and contributes about $43,000 annually to community projects.
Roughly 50% of the mill’s incoming logs are harvested from Weyerhaeuser property.
“We own approximately 138,000 acres in Linn County. A portion of that is in our Springfield tree farm (Calapooia) and the majority of this is in our Snow Peak tree farm,” said Ted Curtis, Weyerhaeuser raw material manager.
Linn County itself is roughly 1,477,760 acres.
The mill processes Douglas-fir logs ranging from 5 to 22 inches diameter and 16-48 feet long — in a computer and laser-driven process.
“Absolute cannon barrel” logs up to 24 inches can be handled, said Nokes.
A network of huge electrical motors, drive belts and saw blades churn in the 110,000-square-foot Weyerhaeuser facility as visitors follow the procession of planks from catwalks.
Mill ends are reduced to sawdust, another outgoing product from the mill for the South Seattle, Wash.-based company.
Shawn Adams is an operator in the plant’s control room. He sits at a console with rows of buttons and levers as well as banks of screens and an open view to the production floor.
This is where incoming logs are evaluated and routed for processing. “You’ve definitely got to have your head on a swivel to see what’s going on,” he commented.
Amanda Backman told tour goers the plant operates on two shifts — 5 a.m. and 5 p.m. starts — with workers clocking in for four 10-hour shifts a week.
Weekends are reserved for maintenance, she said.
The mill site — previously the Bauman Mill — is about 120 acres along Highway 20. From there 2x4s and 2x6s of various lengths are shipped via rail, truck and van.
Various lumber firms — Allweather Wood, MCL Lumber Products, Turner Lumber and Home Depot are among the mill’s biggest customers.
“Our largest is Home Depot, for sure,” Backman said. “We can deliver a store-direct finished product” that benefits both Home Depot and Weyerhaeuser, she said.
Trucks drive north to Longview, Wash. where barges transport lumber south to Long Beach, Calif., for further distribution.
The firm offers tours to the public, but participants must be 16 years old for safety reasons.
All tours begin with a safety video. Hardhats, ear and eye protection along with long pants and closed-toe shoes are also required. The LCSWA group had about 25 people who were escorted in two groups — each with two guides.