Feb 22, 2011. /Lesprom Network/. Tembec announced the permanent closure of its Taschereau sawmill. The facility has been idle since October 2009. The closure is necessitated by the reality that there is insufficient sustainable timber supply to operate all of Tembec’s sawmills in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region, as the company said in a press release received by Lesprom Network. “The closure we are announcing is necessary to insure the long term viability of the Bearn and La Sarre sawmills,” stated Dennis Rounsville, Executive Vice President and President of the Tembec Forest Products Group. “Sawmills must have the necessary fibre supply to facilitate cost effective operations and justify the capital investments required to survive in an increasingly competitive market,” he said. Tembec has presented a plan to the Province of Quebec for a new approach to the distribution of timber volumes that will enable the company to strengthen its operations in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region and provide more stable and continuous employment. Tembec will work with the affected employees to minimize the impact of the closure, including potential transfers to other Tembec operations. A community adjustment fund will be established with the Municipality of Taschereau. As a result of the Taschereau closure, Tembec will record a non-recurring charge of $2 million in the March 2011 quarter.