House Republicans Meet with Leaders in Lumber Industry

MONTROSE, Colo.—House GOP members visited the largest remaining sawmill in Colorado today, as part of their Building a Better Colorado Tour. The delegation of Republican lawmakers toured the Intermountain Resources’ lumber mill in Montrose and met with the mill’s managers for a discussion on Colorado’s jobs and economy.

“Colorado's natural resources must be at the center of our economic recovery and Colorado's timber industry a centerpiece of that,” said Speaker of the House Frank McNulty, R-Highlands Ranch. “These mills provide a significant economic boost to Colorado’s rural communities and help safeguard Coloradans from the risk of wildfire and hazardous beetle-killed trees. We must fight to protect the livelihoods this industry supports.”

The few remaining lumber mills in Colorado currently suffer from a significant decline in demand for lumber—a result of the prolonged downturn in the housing market. At the same time, they struggle to meet the high prices for timber agreed upon in contracts negotiated with the U.S. Forest Services when the housing market was more robust.

The U.S. Forest Service recently allowed the cancellation of select, non-feasible timber contracts, but many mills still find themselves under contractual obligations and run the risk of shutting down for good.

“Having members from the House GOP visit our mill and listen to our needs is a sign of encouragement,” said Pat Donovan, of Cordes & Company, the court appointed receiver for Intermountain Resources LLC. “We’re moving forward but there’s still a lot of ground to cover before we can stabilize this industry and be assured that it will survive to continue providing jobs and aid in promoting forest health.”

Currently in Colorado, there are approximately 4 million acres of trees devastated by the mountain pine beetle infestation. Without a viable timber industry, the ability to combat this epidemic and reduce the risks of wildfire and its threats to our water and air quality is gravely diminished.

“We can save this industry and the jobs it provides,” remarked State Rep. Don Coram, a resident of Montrose. “Now is not the time to turn a blind eye to the ailings of our state’s job creators and small business owners, especially when doing so risks the health of our forests and surrounding communities.”

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