Weyerhaeuser breaks ground on new $500 million facility in south Arkansas

Weyerhaeuser Co. broke ground Wednesday (June 18) on its new timber processing facility near Monticello and Warren, Arkansas. The company is investing an estimated $500 million in the facility, which is expected to create 200 jobs in the region once fully operational.

Company executives joined state and local officials for a groundbreaking ceremony at the project site in south Arkansas. During the ceremony, officials highlighted the importance of the forest products industry to the state and the positive economic impact the facility will have on south Arkansas.

“We primarily do business in small rural locations all across the U.S. and that dynamic that we have with those local communities is one of the reasons why we’re still in business. Frankly, it’s one of the things that makes this company special, and that couldn’t be more true with our operations here in Arkansas,” said Devin W. Stockfish, Weyerhaeuser president and chief executive officer.

“We’ve been in Arkansas since the mid 1950s. This is a great, great place to do business at the state level. At the local level, we’ve really just had wonderful engagement across the board all the way from the Governor’s Office, the local community, state legislature, federal. Everyone has really bent over backwards to help us get this facility here. And I can tell you the reason we’re sitting here today in Monticello, Arkansas, and not somewhere else is because of that support and that engagement that we’ve had from our friends in the legislature, the economic development team, the Governor’s Office. They’ve all made us feel very welcome. And so we just couldn’t be more excited,” he added.

The facility will produce TimberStrand, a laminated strand lumber that is engineered for consistent strength and straightness and used in a range of building applications for single- and multi-family wood frame construction.

The new facility is expected to add approximately 10 million cubic feet of annual production capacity and help Weyerhaeuser meet growing demand for TimberStrand® and better serve its customers across the U.S. South. Weyerhaeuser plans to source fiber logs from company-owned timberlands in south Arkansas and surrounding regions.

“Arkansas is competing where we know we can win, like in the timber industry, which is why we’ve made big investments in skills-based education, including at the new Forest Research Center at the University of Arkansas – Monticello,” said Gov. Sarah Sanders. “Major companies like Weyerhaeuser are paying attention and we are grateful for their investment in South Arkansas.”

The Monticello/Warren facility will be Weyerhaeuser’s fourth manufacturing facility in Arkansas. Weyerhaeuser currently operates a lumber mill in Dierks, a plywood and veneer plant in Emerson, and a seedling nursery in Magnolia. In addition, the company maintains four Timberlands offices in Arkansas, including its main Southern Timberlands office in Hot Springs, and owns or manages 1.2 million acres of timberlands in the state.

“In south Arkansas, our timber industry is growing thanks to investments like Weyerhaeuser’s $500 million investment in Monticello and Warren,” said Clint O’Neal, executive director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. “This groundbreaking is an important milestone for Weyerhaeuser and for the local communities, moving them closer to production and the creation of good-paying jobs for Arkansans. Congratulations – and we look forward to continued success from Weyerhaeuser in our state.”

Weyerhaeuser announced plans for the new facility in November 2024 with the goal of starting operations in 2027.