Montreal, Quebec, Canada 07 August 2013 -- Resolute Forest Products will make a US$30-million investment in the woodyard of its Augusta, Georgia, newsprint mill, according to Pulp & Paper Canada, citing The Augusta Chronicle.

The new woodyard will process full-length logs, instead of using waste-paper furnish.

“We’re eliminating the sawdeck that cuts those logs into small pieces. We’ll be processing full-length logs through our woodyard, which debarks the trees and then chips them,” general manager Jay Backus says, as quoted by The Augusta Chronicle.

Completion of the woodyard is planned for Sept. 2014.

About $16 million in new equipment, including a mill chipper, two log cranes and conveyer systems, will constitute the bulk of costs, said Backus. This will result in a more economical operation of the mill and improve its competitiveness in the newsprint market, according to The Augusta Chronicle.