Voices of Montana

Placeholder Image

RY Timber Closure – Ed Regan and Julia Altemus

It is a combination of bad luck, and bad forest policy – but family-owned R.Y. Timber in Livingston will close down over the next 12 months, putting around 70 people onto the unemployment line. The company’s Townsend mill was shuttered in 2020 due to a lack of timber supply.

Closing the mill was a tough decision for the family, and it’ll cause waves in the timber industry. Former R.Y. Timber Resource Manager Ed Regan will join us to discuss the history of the company and look at the challenges in Montana’s logging and timber industry over the last two decades.

Then, Montana Wood Products Association Executive Director Julia Altemus will follow up with what impact the mills’ closing will have on Montana’s timber industry, and how timber communities respond and recover.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *