Deltic Timber's sawmill operations consist of two state of the art Southern Pine mills, one located in Ola in central Arkansas and the other in Waldo in south Arkansas.

The mills are strategically located near significant portions of the company's timberland and process company-owned timber as well as timber purchased from public and private landowners.

 

In August of 2007 the Waldo operation was forced to halt production due to a fire that caused severe damage in the planer mill. The mill was able to salvage its existing planer infeed and bridge, but the planer itself was completely lost. Deltic Timber called on USNR to provide a new planer.

 

USNR worked hard to prioritize the production of Deltic Timber's new planer in order to meet the mill’s accelerated start-up schedule.

 

In early November, the mill was able to resume operations after being down for three months.

 

In early 2008, Deltic Timber turned its focus to the sawmill, and upgraded the existing sharp chain system. The upgrade replaces older analog TriCam sensors with newer Smart TriCam sensors that have enhanced ambient light resistance and operate better on dark wood. Deltic Timber has already observed increases in recovery and throughput. The mill also implemented automatic feed speed controls to further increase throughput and decrease maintenance.

 

Deltic's sawmills produce a variety of products, including dimension lumber, boards, timbers, decking, and secondary products such as finger-jointed studs.

 

Deltic's history dates back to 1907 when C.H. Murphy, Sr. began investing in timberland. Mr. Murphy continued to acquire land through the years and in 1971, Deltic entered the lumber manufacturing business with the construction of a sawmill in Ola, Arkansas. The second mill located in Waldo, Arkansas, was added in 1974.

 

Deltic owns 438,200 acres of timberland in Arkansas and north Louisiana, stocked primarily with Southern Pine. The land consists of 202,000 acres of pine forests and 167,000 acres of pine plantations, with the remainder consisting of hardwood and non-forested land. The pine forests contain the majority of the Company's 10.9 million tons of pine saw timber inventory and are managed on an all-aged basis.

 

Article by Sonia Perrine, Sr. Marketing Associate, USNR Woodland, WA. www.usnr.com