Weyerhaeuser and Plum Creek complete merger

Plum Creek Timber and Weyerhaeuser consummated their merger on Friday, Feb. 19, according to a press release by Weyerhaeuser. The $8 billion deal was announced last November, but shareholders only approved it on Friday.

“This is an exciting day for Weyerhaeuser as we bring together the best assets and talent in the industry,” said Doyle R. Simons, president and CEO. “In the coming months, we will be relentlessly focused on creating value for our shareholders by capturing cost synergies, leveraging our scale, sharing best practices, delivering the most value from every acre and driving operational excellence. I look forward to being part of this outstanding team as we work together to be the world’s premier timber, land and forest products company.”

Tricon Timber, the largest employer in Mineral County, hasn’t felt any effects from the change in ownership yet at its St. Regis mill.

“It’s business as usual,” said Tricon CFO Andy Ehlert. “We don’t know what may happen down the road, but nothing has changed at this point.”

Weyerhaeuser also said that all of the Montana land holdings it’s acquiring in the merger with Plum Creek will remain open to public access. In Oregon and Washington, Weyerhaeuser charges the public fees to access its property.

Plum Creek was Montana’s largest private landowner, with about 770,000 acres in eight western counties, including approximately 9,000 acres in Mineral County.

Friday’s merger gives Weyerhaeuser a timberlands portfolio of more than 13 million acres, making it the largest private owner of timberland in the United States. The company, which is one of the largest manufacturers of wood and cellulose fiber products in the U.S., operates some 38 wood products manufacturing facilities across the country. According to the press release, in 2015 Weyerhaeuser and Plum Creek generated approximately $8.5 billion in net sales and employed nearly 14,000 people.