LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The Weyerhaeuser Company, which is one of the largest private owners of the timberlands in the world, made an announcement that they plan to invest about $500 million into building a new state-of-the-art TimberStrand facility in south Arkansas.
This investment is projected to create around 200 high-quality jobs in the area near Monticello and Warren.
The new facility would expand the capacity of Weyerhaeuser’s engineered wood products and add almost 10 million cubic feet of annual production capability.
By using southern yellow pine as its primary feedstock, the company will be able to manufacture TimberStrand, which is a laminated strand lumber, at the Arkansas facility and then use a biomass-fueled cogeneration system to supply electrical needs for the plant.
"This $500 million investment and 200 new jobs are pivotal for towns like Monticello and Warren,” said Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders. “I was at the University of Arkansas at Monticello last month to break ground on a new Forest Research Center my administration helped fund by directing $16 million to the school. Between Weyerhaeuser’s announcement and UAM’s expansion, we’re growing that portion of the state and investing in Arkansas’ forestry industry for generations to come.”
With the addition of this new facility, there will be a total of three Weyerhaeuser manufacturing facilities in Arkansas as well as a lumber mill in Dierks and a plywood/veneer plant in Emerson.
Across the state, there are more than 700 people who currently work for Weyerhaeuser.
Construction on the new facility is expected to start sometime in 2025 with operations planned to officially begin sometime in late 2027.
