BUSSELTON sawmiller JA House has joined the long list of companies forced to leave the timber industry.
Unlike other sawmillers that have already left the industry, JA House was one of ten short-listed applicants for a jarrah allocation under the Western Australian Government’s long-awaited Forest Management Plan.
While other applicants are still waiting for the Government to make a decision on the FMP, JA House was told that its business plan was not adequate. The Forest Industries Federation appealed that decision on behalf of JA House but without success.
Preston House – son of the late James House, who set up the mill in 1955 – said that he wrote to the Forest Products Commission last Friday advising that he would accept the Government’s exit package.
The mill is expected to keep running for six to eight months to clear the stockpile of timber in its yard.