USDA Approves $115M to Expand Sawmill Capacity Across 8 States

The funding will support projects in California, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Oklahoma, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved $115.2 million in loan guarantees under its Timber Production Expansion Guaranteed Loan Program to strengthen sawmills and wood processing facilities across eight states.

The funding will support projects in California, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Oklahoma, Virginia, and Wisconsin. The program enables qualified lenders to finance businesses that process timber and forest restoration byproducts sourced from National Forest System lands, helping improve supply chains and forest management outcomes.

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Among the key projects, Beachcombers, LLC in Oklahoma secured a $12.3 million loan to acquire two Teal-Jones southern yellow pine sawmills in Antlers, Oklahoma, and Liberty, Mississippi. The first phase will restore the Antlers facility to full operations, targeting annual output of 80 million board feet against a capacity of 130 million. The second phase will restart the Liberty mill, which has a production capacity of 25 million board feet.

In Wisconsin, Timber Professionals Cooperative Enterprises received an $800,000 loan to reopen a sawmill in Shawano County. The project includes land acquisition and equipment upgrades to boost efficiency and expand higher-value wood product output.

The initiative, supported by the U.S. Forest Service, is expected to generate jobs and enhance sustainable timber utilization.