COMPANY·HISTORIES
NAIC 321113

Sawmills

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

42companies1852–1983founding years40still active2no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironment
FoundedPope & Talbot, Inc.
1852
FoundedUPM-Kymmene Corporation
1872
FoundedCSR Limited
1887
FoundedStora Enso Oyj
1896
FoundedInternational Paper Company
1898
FoundedWeyerhaeuser Company
1900
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedWillamette Industries, Inc.
1906
1908
TechnologyThe Ford Model T brings the automobile to the middle class.
1913
EconomyThe Federal Reserve is created.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedEmpresas CMPC S.A.
1920
FoundedLongview Fibre Company
1927
FoundedSvenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget SCA
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression begins.
FoundedBoise Cascade Corporation
1931
1933
EconomyNew Deal reforms reshape banking and industry.
FoundedRoseburg Forest Products Company
1936
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long postwar expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented at Bell Labs.
FoundedDoman Industries LimitedFoundedUniversal Forest Products, Inc.
1955
1956
EconomyThe Interstate Highway program remakes commerce.
FoundedPT Astra International Tbk
1957
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
1970
EnvironmentThe EPA is founded; environmental regulation expands.
FoundedCarter Holt Harvey Ltd.
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; Nasdaq opens.
FoundedLouisiana-Pacific CorporationFoundedTembec Inc.
1972
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins with the Altair.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall 22% in a single day.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2001
EconomyThe September 11 attacks; a recession follows.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 begin to take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Pope & Talbot, Inc. →
Active · founded 1852
1980s:Pope & Talbot diversifies into consumer products by either acquiring or building diaper and tissue plants.
Pope & Talbot, Inc. →
Active · founded 1852
1980s:Pope & Talbot diversifies into consumer products by either acquiring or building diaper and tissue plants.
UPM-Kymmene Corporation →
Active · founded 1872 · Finland
UPM-Kymmene Corporation is Finland's leading forestry company and Europe's largest papermaking concern.
UPM-Kymmene Corporation →
Active · founded 1872 · Finland
UPM-Kymmene Corporation is Finland's leading forestry company and Europe's largest papermaking concern.
CSR Limited →
Active · founded 1887 · Australia
CSR Limited is one of the world's largest building and construction materials companies, with operations in Australia,…
CSR Limited →
Active · founded 1887 · Australia
CSR Limited is one of the world's largest building and construction materials companies, with operations in Australia,…
Stora Enso Oyj →
Active · founded 1896 · Finland
1288: First documentary evidence of mining at the copper mountain near Falun, Sweden.
Stora Enso Oyj →
Active · founded 1896 · Finland
1288: First documentary evidence of mining at the copper mountain near Falun, Sweden.
International Paper Company →
Active · founded 1898
International Paper Company (IP) is the world's largest producer of paper, packaging, and forest products.
International Paper Company →
Active · founded 1898
International Paper Company (IP) is the world's largest producer of paper, packaging, and forest products.
Weyerhaeuser Company →
Active · founded 1900
Weyerhaeuser Company is the world's largest private owner of softwood timber and the world's largest producer of…
Weyerhaeuser Company →
Active · founded 1900
Weyerhaeuser Company is the world's largest private owner of softwood timber and the world's largest producer of…
Potlatch Corporation →
Active · founded 1903
Potlatch Corporation--a mid-sized manufacturer of wood products, printing paper, and other pulp- and paper-based…
Potlatch Corporation →
Active · founded 1903
Potlatch Corporation--a mid-sized manufacturer of wood products, printing paper, and other pulp- and paper-based…
Willamette Industries, Inc. →
Defunct · founded 1906
Willamette Industries, Inc., headquartered in Portland, Oregon, is a medium-sized, diversified forest-products company.
Willamette Industries, Inc. →
Defunct · founded 1906
Willamette Industries, Inc., headquartered in Portland, Oregon, is a medium-sized, diversified forest-products company.
Empresas CMPC S.A. →
Active · founded 1920 · Chile
Empresas CMPC S.A.
Empresas CMPC S.A. →
Active · founded 1920 · Chile
Empresas CMPC S.A.
Longview Fibre Company →
Active · founded 1927
Longview Fibre Company owns and operates a pulp and paper mill as well as 16 container and bag plants in 11 states.
Longview Fibre Company →
Active · founded 1927
Longview Fibre Company owns and operates a pulp and paper mill as well as 16 container and bag plants in 11 states.
Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget SCA →
Active · founded 1929 · Sweden
Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget SCA (SCA for short) is one of Europe's leading forestry companies, specializing in…
Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget SCA →
Active · founded 1929 · Sweden
Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget SCA (SCA for short) is one of Europe's leading forestry companies, specializing in…
Boise Cascade Corporation →
Active · founded 1931
Boise Cascade Corporation has grown from a small local lumber company into a major manufacturer of wood products,…
Boise Cascade Corporation →
Active · founded 1931
Boise Cascade Corporation has grown from a small local lumber company into a major manufacturer of wood products,…
Roseburg Forest Products Company →
Active · founded 1936
Roseburg Forest Products Company is one of the largest private lumber companies in the United States.
Roseburg Forest Products Company →
Active · founded 1936
Roseburg Forest Products Company is one of the largest private lumber companies in the United States.
North Pacific Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1948
North Pacific Group, Inc.
North Pacific Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1948
North Pacific Group, Inc.
Doman Industries Limited →
Active · founded 1955 · Canada
Doman Industries Limited is one of the largest forest products companies in Canada.
Doman Industries Limited →
Active · founded 1955 · Canada
Doman Industries Limited is one of the largest forest products companies in Canada.
Universal Forest Products, Inc. →
Active · founded 1955
1980s:Company makes concerted move to target the do-it-yourself market.
Universal Forest Products, Inc. →
Active · founded 1955
1980s:Company makes concerted move to target the do-it-yourself market.
PT Astra International Tbk →
Active · founded 1957 · Indonesia
PT Astra International Tbk is one of Indonesia's largest diversified conglomerates.
PT Astra International Tbk →
Active · founded 1957 · Indonesia
PT Astra International Tbk is one of Indonesia's largest diversified conglomerates.
Carter Holt Harvey Ltd. →
Active · founded 1971 · New Zealand
A leading producer of wood fiber and forestry-based products in New Zealand and Australia, Carter Holt Harvey Ltd.
Carter Holt Harvey Ltd. →
Active · founded 1971 · New Zealand
A leading producer of wood fiber and forestry-based products in New Zealand and Australia, Carter Holt Harvey Ltd.
Louisiana-Pacific Corporation →
Active · founded 1972
A leading manufacturer and marketer of building and lumber products, Louisiana-Pacific Corporation (L-P) revolutionized…
Louisiana-Pacific Corporation →
Active · founded 1972
A leading manufacturer and marketer of building and lumber products, Louisiana-Pacific Corporation (L-P) revolutionized…
Tembec Inc. →
Active · founded 1972 · Canada
With headquarters in Montreal, Quebec, Tembec Inc.
Tembec Inc. →
Active · founded 1972 · Canada
With headquarters in Montreal, Quebec, Tembec Inc.
Temple-Inland Inc. →
Active · founded 1983
Temple-Inland Inc.
Temple-Inland Inc. →
Active · founded 1983
Temple-Inland Inc.
Build It Today

Starting a sawmills company now

Each week we rebuild one of these stories for today's tools and capital.