<B>Boise Cascade Idling Alabama Mill</B>

Dick Merson, vice president of Alabama operations, blamed excess supplies of Canadian timber for undercutting domestic prices by $60 to $70 per ton.

"The whole lumber market has had lower pricing for some time now. There's a lot of imports coming into the country," he said.

The paper mill, which produces white, uncoated paper used for forms, envelopes and copy machines, also eliminated its fourth shift in 1998 to cut down on the mill's capacity.

Merson declined to speculate on whether the closure could last longer than two weeks or become a permanent shutdown.

Merson said the mill would be working with the Alabama Employment Service to help workers obtain available government benefits.

Boise Cascade bought the Jackson timber mill in 1986. In 1999, the mill produced more than 80 million board feet, a unit of measurement equal to 1-square-foot-by-1-inch thick.

The company processes timber cut from Clarke, Monroe and Washington counties, as well as some timber from Mississippi, Merson said.