Mar 19, 2009. /Lesprom Network/. Sierra Pacific Industries (SPI) will close its small‐log sawmill located in Quincy, California on May 4, 2009, as the company informed Lesprom Network. According to SPI, the challenging lumber market combined with litigation over timber harvests on nearby national forest lands were the primary drivers behind the decision to close the plant. “We are deeply saddened over this announcement, as many hard‐working, dedicated employees who have been with the company for a long time will be unemployed” said area manager Matt Taborski. “The reduced availability of national forest timber resulting from litigation forced SPI to transport logs over long distances at greater cost to keep the mill running,” he added. “Today’s lumber prices are not sufficient to cover these increased costs. To make things worse, environmental litigation has not only reduced the mill’s raw material supply, but also increased the risk of wildfires in the area” he continued. This mill is part of a two‐mill complex – one cutting small diameter logs and the other cutting large diameter logs into lumber for domestic consumption. About 150 employees will be affected by this closure. Approximately 160 will remain employed at the large‐log facility and biomass electric generation plant. Sierra Pacific Industries is a third‐generation family‐owned forest products company based in Anderson, California. The firm owns and manages nearly 1.9 million acres of timberland in California and Washington, and is the second largest lumber producer in the U.S.