The US Department of Commerce has set a preliminary dumping margin of 1.69% for Hansol Paper in its administrative review of thermal paper from South Korea for 1 November 2024 to 31 October 2025, published in the Federal Register on 19 October 2026. The review was rescinded for 16 other companies after petitioners Domtar and Appvion withdrew their requests, and the all-others cash deposit rate stays at 6.19%. Deposits change only with the final results; case briefs are due by 9 November 2026.
Why this mattersIf confirmed, the 1.69% margin would set Hansol's duty liability on US thermal paper entries for the period, well below the 6.19% all-others deposit rate.
- Preliminary constructed-export-price margin for Hansol Paper Company set at 1.69%, published in the 19 October 2026 Federal Register (91 FR 66104-66106).
- All-others cash deposit rate remains unchanged at 6.19% pending final results.
- Review period covers 1 November 2024 to 31 October 2025 under antidumping order A-580-911 (thermal paper from Germany, Japan, Korea and Spain, originally imposed November 2021).
- Review partially rescinded for 16 companies, including Sailing Paper and Kooka Paper Manufacturing, after petitioners Domtar and Appvion withdrew requests on 27 April 2026.
- Case briefs are due by 9 November 2026, hearing requests by 18 November 2026, and rescission instructions no earlier than 23 November 2026.
- Cash deposit rates will only change once Commerce issues final results; if the final margin is de minimis (below 0.50%), entries liquidate without antidumping duty.
Domtar and the British Columbia government reached an agreement in principle on 1 October 2026 that positions the idled Howe Sound pulp mill to reopen, with a restart expected in mid-October 2026. The reopening depends on ratification of a new collective agreement by Unifor Local 1119 members, with a vote expected the following week.
Why this mattersA restart would partly offset capacity losses in British Columbia pulp, including Canfor's Northwood closure, which removes more than 240 jobs this autumn.
- Agreement in principle between the British Columbia government and Domtar reached on 1 October 2026, according to Unifor.
- The Howe Sound mill is expected to reopen in mid-October 2026.
- The restart is contingent on ratification of a new collective agreement by Unifor Local 1119 members, with a vote expected the following week.
- Canfor's Northwood pulp mill in Prince George is scheduled to close this autumn, affecting more than 240 Unifor Local 603 members.
A study cited by the Wall Street Journal estimates rural Alabama will lose almost USD 7bn in economic activity over the next decade because of Domtar's idling of its Coosa Pines fluff and market pulp mill in Childersburg, shut since May 2026 after a 24 March 2026 announcement citing weak markets and aged assets. Domtar's own fact sheet puts the mill's annual economic impact at USD 569m and its market pulp capacity at 270,000 tonnes. The closure adds to a run of North American softwood kraft cuts, including Domtar's own idling at Port Mellon, British Columbia, and Canfor's permanent shutdown of its Northwood mill in Prince George.
Why this mattersRepeated Southern and Canadian pulp mill closures are compressing timberland values and pulpwood pricing, tightening wood-fibre economics across the paper and packaging supply chain.
- Domtar's Coosa Pines mill in Childersburg, Alabama has been idled since May 2026 after a 24 March 2026 closure announcement citing difficult markets and aged assets.
- A study taken to Alabama's congressional delegation projects almost USD 7bn in lost regional economic activity over the next decade from the closure.
- Domtar's own fact sheet lists the mill's annual economic impact at USD 569m and its market pulp capacity at 270,000 metric tonnes.
- Reported job losses range from 250 to 285, against Domtar's own fact-sheet staffing figure of 275.
- Domtar is separately idling 400 jobs and 380,000 metric tonnes of northern bleached softwood kraft capacity at Port Mellon, British Columbia, by mid-October 2026.
- Canfor confirmed in July 2026 the permanent closure of its Northwood mill in Prince George, removing 300 jobs and 300,000 tonnes of kraft capacity.
Thunder Bay Pulp and Paper will receive more than CAD 2.4m in Ontario provincial funding to plan boiler and chemical-plant upgrades expected to raise daily kraft production by 11%. The upgrades would also cut bleaching-chemical use by around 30% and reduce annual natural gas consumption by more than 5 million cubic metres. Separately, Ontario is providing CAD 93,000 to AUX Energy for a biomass generator project in Fort Frances and CAD 33,000 to Weyerhaeuser for production-line upgrade studies.
Why this mattersThe upgrade would lift kraft capacity at a Northwestern Ontario mill while cutting gas and chemical use, supporting the region's forestry-sector cost base.
- Ontario will provide more than CAD 2.4m for planning of boiler and chemical-plant upgrades at Thunder Bay Pulp and Paper.
- The upgrades are expected to raise daily kraft production by 11%.
- The mill would need over 130,000 tonnes of additional annual forest biomass to support the higher output.
- Bleaching-chemical use would fall by around 30% and natural gas consumption by more than 5 million cubic metres a year.
- AUX Energy will receive CAD 93,000 to plan a biomass-powered generator project in Fort Frances.
- Weyerhaeuser will receive CAD 33,000 to study production-line upgrades.
- The mill discontinued newsprint production in the first quarter of 2026.
- Combined capital cost of the three upgrade projects is estimated at C$170-180m (USD 121-128m) if the company proceeds.
- The project is expected to create demand for over 130,000 tonnes of forest biomass per year.
- Ontario frames the funding package as protecting over 700 direct and 3,350 indirect forestry jobs amid US tariff pressure.
Domtar and machinery supplier BW Converting Solutions completed the Factory Acceptance Test on 17 September 2026 for a new PCMC PARAGON converting line destined for Domtar's Calhoun, Tennessee facility. The FAT confirms the equipment meets specification ahead of shipment; no installation or start-up date has been set.
Why this mattersA cleared factory test is the step before shipment, putting added converting capacity at Calhoun in prospect without a disclosed installation or start-up date.
- The Factory Acceptance Test for the PCMC PARAGON line was completed on 17 September 2026.
- The line is supplied by BW Converting Solutions, whose PCMC brand builds converting machinery.
- The line is destined for Domtar's Calhoun, Tennessee facility.
- No installation or start-up date has been disclosed.
US and North Carolina authorities sued Domtar Paper Company on 16 September 2026 over historic hazardous releases, including dioxins, furans and mercury, from the Martin County site formerly run by predecessor Weyerhaeuser, and simultaneously filed a proposed consent decree to settle the claims. The draft settlement includes a conservation deed restriction on about 760 acres of Warren Neck wetlands and USD 1.75m for floodplain and fish-passage restoration along the lower Roanoke River, with credit given for prior remediation work by Domtar. The consent decree is open for public comment before a court can finalise it.
Why this mattersThe case sets a template for resolving legacy contamination liabilities at acquired US mills, with restoration costs and land-use restrictions that could recur across the sector.
- Complaint filed 16 September 2026 by North Carolina's Department of Environmental Quality and federal authorities against Domtar Paper Company, LLC over its Martin County mill site.
- Contaminants including dioxins, furans and mercury from predecessor Weyerhaeuser's waste disposal were detected in fish tissue in Welch Creek, the lower Roanoke River and western Albemarle Sound.
- A proposed consent decree, filed the same day by NC DEQ, NOAA and US Fish and Wildlife Service, would settle the natural resource damages claim.
- The draft settlement includes a conservation deed restriction on about 760 acres of Warren Neck forested wetlands.
- USD 1.75m is earmarked for floodplain reconnection, wetland protection and fish-passage restoration covering over 600 acres of habitat.
- A fish consumption advisory tied to the contamination has been in effect since 1990; the consent decree is open for public comment before finalisation.
- Domtar said it is aware of the filed consent decree and will comment after the public comment period closes.
- Alleged dioxin, furan and mercury releases at the site date back to 1937.
- Weyerhaeuser operated the site from 1957 to 2007, when Domtar took over ownership and operation.
- A separate fish consumption advisory for mercury has been in place since 1997, in addition to the 1990 dioxin advisory.
- Plaintiffs include the US Department of the Interior and NOAA alongside North Carolina's Department of Environmental Quality.
- The USD 1.905m total splits into USD 1.75m for a federal restoration fund and USD 155,000 for trustee oversight costs
- A separate floodplain project would repair up to five culverts and reconnect three miles of stream channels
- Weyerhaeuser operated the Plymouth mill from 1957 to 2007, when Domtar acquired the site and assumed its environmental obligations
Unifor members at Domtar's Eastern Canada mills have ratified a conciliator's settlement recommendation, setting a four-year pattern agreement for the region's pulp, paper, sawmill and forestry sectors. The deal, running from May 2026 to April 2030, provides 2.5% annual pay rises totalling 10% plus an attendance bonus of up to 1%, and will now serve as the benchmark for negotiations affecting around 14,000 Unifor members.
Why this mattersThe settlement avoids an immediate labour dispute at Domtar and sets a wage and benefits benchmark for sector-wide bargaining amid tariff-driven mill slowdowns and closures in Canadian forestry.
- Unifor members at three Domtar mills voted to ratify the conciliator's settlement recommendation.
- The four-year agreement runs from May 1, 2026 to April 30, 2030.
- Annual pay increases of 2.5% total 10% over the contract, plus an attendance bonus of up to 1%.
- The agreement is a pattern deal expected to affect about 14,000 Unifor members in Eastern Canada's forestry sector.
- Unifor cited a US-Canada trade war and rising tariffs on forestry products as a backdrop, alongside mill slowdowns and layoffs.
- Unifor will next negotiate in the sawmill sector before moving to other forestry sectors.
Mercer International is curtailing production this month at its 360,000 tonne-per-year Rosenthal northern bleached softwood kraft mill in Germany, for a mix of scheduled maintenance and market-related reasons. The downtime comes as Mercer continues to switch its Celgar mill from NBSK to unbleached kraft pulp on a weaker NBSK market. US NBSK spot prices to the East and Midwest rose USD 5 per tonne to USD 700-720 net delivered through 11 September 2026.
Why this mattersEuropean downtime and announced Canadian closures are thinning spot NBSK availability, giving producers their first price gain in months.
- Rosenthal has capacity of 360,000 tonnes a year of NBSK pulp.
- The September 2026 curtailment covers both scheduled maintenance and market-related downtime.
- Mercer is shifting Celgar output from NBSK to unbleached kraft pulp on a weaker NBSK market.
- US NBSK spot prices to the East and Midwest rose USD 5 per tonne to USD 700-720 per tonne net delivered through 11 September 2026.
- Preliminary September US NBSK contract list prices were unchanged at USD 1,570 per tonne; SBSK was flat at USD 1,505 per tonne.
- Announced closures of Canfor and Domtar market NBSK mills in Canada have so far had little price impact.
The Ontario government is investing CAD 5.1m in Bioveld North, the BMI Group subsidiary that bought the idled Espanola pulp and paper mill from Domtar in late 2025, to fund engineering and design work on a possible restart. Bioveld is contributing a further CAD 5.4m, taking the engineering programme to CAD 10.5m, as the site is studied as a bioproducts and biomass hub rather than a conventional pulp mill.
Why this mattersA restart would return capacity and jobs to a mill idled for three years, but conversion to biomass and bioproducts signals conventional pulp production may not return.
- Ontario announced a CAD 5.1m investment on 3 September 2026 through its Forest Biomass Program.
- Bioveld North, a BMI Group subsidiary, bought the former Domtar mill property in Espanola in late 2025.
- The mill has been idle for three years.
- Bioveld is contributing CAD 5.4m, bringing the total engineering programme to CAD 10.5m.
- The funding covers engineering and design work to assess restarting the site as a 'Pulp+' bioproducts hub.
- The plan explores biomass, renewable fuels and other green technology uses for the site.
- The Espanola mill, idled since 2023 after more than 120 years of operation, cut about 400 direct jobs.
- The mill's supply chain historically supported an estimated 2,000 additional jobs across 19 Ontario sawmills.
- The restart plan targets about 800 air-dried tonnes per day of NBSK pulp and 180 short tonnes per day of specialty paper.
Domtar's Howe Sound pulp mill on British Columbia's Sunshine Coast faces indefinite closure after an August 20, 2026 announcement citing deteriorating markets and a decline in affordable domestic fibre. The provincial government appointed negotiators Don Wright and Don Kayne on September 4, 2026 to work with Domtar, as an industry consultant warns the shutdown could trigger a wider collapse of the region's coastal forest sector. Talks continue amid a broader wave of BC pulp mill curtailments, with Domtar's Crofton mill already closed permanently and Canfor's Northwood mill set to shut before year end.
Why this mattersA permanent Howe Sound closure would remove pulp-log demand for coastal sawmills, accelerating structural decline across British Columbia's integrated forest-products supply chain.
- Domtar announced indefinite closure of its Howe Sound pulp mill on August 20, 2026, citing deteriorating markets and a decline in affordable domestic fibre.
- The mill and associated Bayview Fibre facility employ more than 400 people.
- British Columbia's provincial government appointed negotiators Don Wright and Don Kayne on September 4, 2026 to work with Domtar.
- Domtar's Crofton pulp and paper mill closed permanently, taking hold in early 2026.
- Canfor said in July 2026 it would shut its Northwood pulp mill in Prince George before the end of the year.
- A coalition of 15 forest industry groups and unions called BC's industry "at a breaking point" in a letter to the province.
