Green Diamond and California Redwood cut 85 workers

   Moscow. Mar 17, 2009. /Lesprom Network/. The California Redwood Co. and Green Diamond Resource Co. would make significant cuts to their workforce due to continued poor demand for lumber and wood products, as Times Standard informed Lesprom Network.

The companies will eliminate 85 positions in all. Layoffs on the lumber side, California Redwood, include 49 hourly workers at both its Brainard and Korbel facilities, and 8 salaried workers. The hourly employees will be put on long-term leaves of absence or be provided with severance benefits, California Redwood said. California Redwood's operations will go to operating on a single shift, and will also schedule week-long downtime.

Green Diamond, which operates 450 thousand acres of timberland, will lay off 28 employees, both salaried and union and non-union workers. It also plans to reduce its logging operations for the coming year. The employees will be laid off over the next few weeks, according to the company.

”Eliminating positions is difficult, but we have no choice but to respond to this very challenging environment,” said Green Diamond Vice President Neal Ewald.

California Redwood Co. is a subsidiary of Green Diamond Resource Co.