Timber Industry Boom?
Chinese Camp, CA — Sierra Pacific Industries is expanding its workforce at the Chinese Camp Mill.
The company will employ an additional 26 workers, bringing the total to 115. SPI has also hired 100 workers at the newly renovated Standard Mill, and plans to hire an additional 30 later this summer.
The Chinese Camp location is focused on cedar fencing, while the Standard Mill can process other species like pine and fir. SPI Area Manager Ryan Land says, “This unique ability to utilize a variety of wood species and log sizes has allowed SPI to retool and expand here in Tuolumne County.”
Tuolumne County Economic Development Director Larry Cope says that many peripheral jobs will also be created in areas such as logging, trucking and supplier firms. “If you’ve noticed the roadways lately, there’s been a lot of logging trucks,” says Cope. “We were glad to be able to work with them and streamline the permitting process, along with county staff and administration, to make sure they could get this investment made and get those jobs started this summer.”
The two mills will have a combined staff of 215.