VERNON, B.C. — British Columbia wood products company Tolko Industries says continuing low lumber prices and high log costs have forced it to schedule a two-week shutdown affecting all its B.C. operations.

The privately owned, Vernon-based company says the curtailment will run from Dec. 21 to Jan. 6, while the head office will be closed from Dec. 23 to 27.

A statement on the company website says only essential services will be maintained during the downtime.

Tolko has operations in the Okanagan, near Kamloops and Williams Lake and a terminal in Richmond.

The curtailment comes just a week after the company announced the permanent closure of its Kelowna mill, effective in January.

Troy Connolly, Tolko's vice-president of solid wood, says the B.C.-wide downtime will reduce output by 21 million board feet at its lumber operations and cut 10 million square feet of panel production at its plywood and veneer plants.