KOBI NBC 5

(7/19/10) In the last few decades hundreds of timber jobs have been lost due to various economic and environmental factors.  Hundreds of old timber mills have had to shut down and today only a handful of sawmills are still processing forest products. The statistics are sobering, in the last year about 220 sawmills have closed around the nation. In Oregon only three remain in production. Timber Products Company is one of the few companies still in business. The company has a sawmill in Yreka but the heart of the company is in Medford where they make plywood and particle board. John Underwood a spokesman for the company says it hasn’t been easy over the years to keep their heads above water. He says the company’s success comes from good decision making. Timber Products owns its own forests and the company has a program of sustainability. The company is able to take advantage of the growing popularity of green construction.