Oct 13, 2009. /Lesprom Network/. Hampton Affiliates' stud mill in Morton, Wash., resumed operation October 5, and the planer mill will start on October 19, as Random Lengths reported. The mill had been closed since last December, when severe storm damage rendered it inoperable. The mill started up at 50% capacity due to seasonally low demand, depressed prices, and constricted log supply. Hampton's other Lewis County stud mill, located in Randle, Wash., increased production hours to accommodate customers during Morton's closure, and has returned to operating at 80 hours per week. "We remain optimistic that modest signs of improvement in the economy will continue and housing markets will start to rally beginning in 2010, but in the short term we will continue to operate in a curtailed mode at the majority of our sawmill facilities," said Steve Zika, Hampton's CEO.