Roseburg Forest Products has announced it is restarting construction activities at Dillard MDF, a modern new medium density fiberboard (MDF) plant at the heart of the company’s long-term growth strategy and its goal to become the leading producer of MDF products in the West.

As a cornerstone of Roseburg’s multi-year modernization and historic investment in southern Oregon, Dillard MDF will feature the latest generation Siempelkamp continuous press. This state-of-the-art technology converts wood residuals into high-density fiberboard (HDF) as well as traditional MDF panels and value-added products for construction, cabinetry and flooring markets. The new mill will be fully integrated into Roseburg’s Dillard complex to leverage its high-quality wood fiber and biomass energy production.

“We are very pleased to announce the restart of our Dillard MDF project,” says Stuart Gray, president and CEO of Roseburg Forest Products. “Dillard MDF plays a key role in our future. The plant will be one of the lowest cost producers in the world, which significantly enhances Roseburg’s long-term competitive position in composite panels in the West specifically and North America in general.”

Roseburg paused the project in early 2025 in response to uncertainty in the economy, volatile market conditions, and potential Oregon state policy shifts that would undermine the project’s viability.

Roseburg expects to employ more than 140 people at the new MDF plant when operations begin in late 2028. The fiberboard press at Dillard MDF will be installed on the same footprint as the first press supplied by Siempelkamp to Roseburg more than 50 years ago. In addition to its mill in Medford, Ore., Roseburg currently produces MDF products in El Dorado, Ark., and Pembroke, Ont., Canada.