By JOE MAY | The Southern Standard
Domtar has announced it will be shuttering its Glenwood sawmill on Oct. 10, 2025, according to Pike County Judge Eddie Howard. Howard announced the news on his Facebook account Wednesday afternoon.
Glenwood Mayor Billy Plyler told the newspaper that upon hearing the news, he contacted a Domtar public relations official at their Ashdown mill for details. He said he was told that current lumber prices have caused officials to temporarily shut down the mill.
“It’s not a permanent shutdown,” he said. “They’re going to re-evaluate it in December. They’re going to cut all the wood they have on the yard and then close for a while until prices come up. Right now they’ve quit taking logs and they’ll work until the yard is empty.”
About 150 people are employed at the mill.
Howard said one of the issues is high interest rates. “Trump is trying to get them down, and we know it’s coming, but they’re not down yet. Right now the market is flooded with lumber.”
Plyler agreed, saying that years ago, when the mill was owned by Georgia-Pacific, shutdowns due to the market were common.
“We just need people to understand that this is temporary,” he said, acknowledging that regardless, the affect on the community is difficult. “They will reopen when the market improves,” he said. “Domtar wants the lumber prices to go up and one way to get that is to cut the supplies.”
Howard said he asked officials what could be done to help the mill. He said he was told that opening up the former Caddo Valley Railroad which formerly ran from Gurdon to Caddo Gap through the company’s property, would be a major help. Plyler agreed, noting, ”Every other Domtar mill has two means of shipping. We just have one in Glenwood.”
In addition, the mayor noted that currently, a crew is on scene doing upgrades at the mill.
“They’re spending millions on upgrades,” he remarked. “They’re not ready to shut the mill down yet.”
Plyler said if the railroad was in existence, even more money would be spent on upgrades.
Howard said he believes that grants can be obtained to replace the railroad. Right now, he said, recent research has shown the land has not been conveyed back to the original owners. Part of the reason for this is in Pike County, the courthouse burned, destroying the deeds a century ago.
His hope is that the Intermodal Authority can obtain the land and start a new railroad on the former railbed.
“It will cost $2 million per mile,” he said. “It’s 52 miles, so we’re looking at $104 million. I’ve talked to Sen. [Tom] Cotton’s office and others, and I think the money is out there to do it. We’ve just got to get the land in the Intermodal’s name so it will be a non-profit.”
“There’s a lot of potential in the railroad,” he said, explaining that having a railroad would help the mill in shipping lumber. He has also spoken with other businesses along the line who he thinks would make use of the railroad for shipping.
“We have hired a lawyer and we’re looking at seeing just who owns the land right now,” the judge said.