Lumber giant Interfor confirms plans to move corporate support to the U.S.

The U.S. accounted for 84 per cent of Interfor’s lumber sales in 2025. Photo by Postmedia

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Canadian lumber company Interfor Corp. confirmed plans Friday to move corporate support functions to the United States from its Burnaby, B.C. headquarters.

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“We recently announced the transition of certain corporate support roles to our Peachtree City office in Georgia, where the majority of our operations are located within the Central, Eastern and Atlantic time zones,” Ian Fillinger, the company’s chief executive, said on a conference call with analysts to discuss the company’s second-quarter financial results.

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“This change is intended to better align our support functions with the needs of our business while maintaining a strong corporate presence in both Canada and the United States.”

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As reported by the Financial Post last month, based on the contents of a memo sent to employees by the CEO, Fillinger the transition is expected to occur gradually over time, primarily through attrition and future hiring decisions. Executives on the conference call did not elaborate on which specific job functions would eventually move to the U.S. or the number of positions that would be affected.

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“This is not a redomiciling of the company, nor does it alter our longstanding commitment within our Canadian operations, mills, employees, or communities,” Fillinger said on Friday’s call. “Our leadership team remains in place, and Burnaby will continue to play an important role as our corporate headquarters.”

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An analyst on the call followed up by asking company executives whether there would be tax or other advantages to redomiciling in the United States.

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“We haven’t looked at it in that much detail,” Fillinger said. “So I don’t have a view of that at this point.”

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Interfor has 4,000 employees according to its website. A 2022 document, when Interfor had closer to 5,000 employees, indicated about 45 per cent were in Canada.

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The United States is also a big customer for Interfor. According to a November 2025 investor presentation, the U.S. accounted for 84 per cent of Interfor’s lumber sales by market.

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Since last year, Interfor and other lumber companies have been grappling with the impact of U.S. tariffs on softwood lumber. The trade war initiated by President Donald Trump’s administration added a 10 per cent tariff to longstanding anti-dumping and countervailing duties, and softwood lumber shipments to the U.S. now face a cumulative levy of 45 per cent.

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On Friday, Interfor said in a news release that the company is well positioned to navigate the volatility with a diversified product mix across North America and about 65 per cent of its total lumber produced and sold within the U.S.

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“Ultimately, only about 20 per cent of the company’s total lumber production is exported from Canada to the U.S. and exposed to duties, tariffs or other potential trade measures,” the release said.

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The trade war has prompted a number of Canadian companies in other industries to consider shifting production or relocating to the United States, and some with substantial operations or shareholder bases there have already made the move.

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A July 7 survey by KPMG revealed that nearly three in 10 Canadian manufacturers have moved at least some production to the U.S., while 11 per cent plan to move their headquarters to the U.S. within the next five years.

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