By Jeff Zeringue
Louisiana Forestry Association
A tale of two sawmills shows lessons learned that helped with the startup of Bienville Lumber Co., the second endeavor of a partnership of Hunt Forest Products and Tolko Industries of Canada.
The partnership of the Ruston-based Hunt Forest Products and Vernon, British Columbia-based Tolko Industries began around 2016 with a decision on its first sawmill in Urania — LaSalle Lumber Co. — soon followed. Testing at that mill began in late 2018 and it became fully operational in 2019.