Temporary Steam Plant Provides Relief During Post Wildfire Assessment

Roseburg Forest Products, headquartered in Dillard, OR, owns ten facilities and more than 600,000 acres of timberlands in the Western United States. In 1983 Roseburg Forest Products bought their facility in Weed, CA from International Paper Company. The plant supplies veneer (a product used to make plywood) to customers throughout the Northwest.

On September 15, 2014 the Boles wildfire swept the small town of Weed, burning 516 acres of land. It destroyed one hundred fifty residences and eight commercial properties. Damage also occurred to the Roseburg mill’s outbuildings, residual piles and certain areas of the manufacturing facility. Although nearly 135 jobs were affected, Roseburg was able to keep more than half of those employees working during the interim through relocation to the mills in Dillard and Riddle, OR.

During the damage assessment of the Roseburg facility and wood boiler, a temporary boiler / steam system was required. Cole Industrial, Nationwide Boiler’s partner, located in Lynwood, WA, worked closely with Roseburg’s Oregon facilities and contacted Nationwide Boiler to supply the required equipment which included a rental boiler, skid-mounted deaerator, and skid-mounted water softener.

Nationwide Boiler worked quickly, and just one week after the call and one day after the order was placed, a 70,000 lb/hr trailer-mounted rental boiler, 150,000 lb/hr skid-mounted deaerator, and a skid-mounted water softener were shipped from Nationwide’s shop in Fremont, CA to Weed. Nationwide Boiler was also able to perform quick burner modifications prior to shipment in order to fulfill the customer’s requirement, allowing them to burn liquid propane gas. The boiler rental equipment was installed and put online by Cole Industrial shortly after it arrived, and the rental boiler project lasted nearly six months.

Roseburg Forest Products created a response plan and determined a target to have the facility back up and running by Thanksgiving of that year. Through hard work and determination, the company was able to get the plant back online before their target and just one month after the fire, however repairs to the entire mill weren’t complete until the first quarter of 2015. The temporary steam plant and rental boiler equipment performed reliably throughout the duration of this important recovery period, providing consistent steam to keep essential operations running smoothly. This allowed Roseburg Forest Products to maintain production schedules and meet customer demands despite the ongoing rebuild. 

Download this Emergency Rental Boiler Project PDF