Paper mill closures create tough market for logging in Wisconsin

RHINELANDER (AP) — Longtime professional loggers in Wisconsin say they are dealing with the most challenging times their industry has ever faced.

Paper mills that buy pulp wood have closed, creating an oversupply in timber markets that has sent prices plummeting. The logging bust in northern Wisconsin has forced some loggers to pick up side jobs in construction or related fields. Some have left the industry.

Among the closures was the Verso mill in Wisconsin Rapids. It was the largest buyer of timber in the Upper Midwest and its closure last year was a blow not only locally, but had a ripple effect elsewhere. The 1,000-acre mill employed about 900 people.