The History Of Downie Mill

Here's just a little history of Downie for you before you take off on your tour.

Downie Timber LTD, is a family owner sawmill and planer mill. It has been independently owned, and operated on it's current site since the 1950's, it's present ownership has been since 1988. They now focus on reinvesting profit to ensure that every bit of value is extracted from the log to both increase recovery and grade.

Downie's sawmill is capable of sawing four different species: Hemlock, Spruce, Douglas Fir, and Western Red Cedar. The most desired species though would be the Western Red Cedar which makes up 75 percent of their wood. There are 200 employees on the Downie site and approximately 150 contractors that work in the woodlands.

The Downie products are marketed on-site by Downie, they receive about 8000 truckloads of logs are sent out to the marketplace each year. Downie produces altogether 60 million feet of lumber per year. The white wood that Downie produces is sent to Japan, while all the other wood is distributed throughout the United States and Canada.