Brink Forest Products resumed operations on Monday despite continued flooding caused by ice jams on the Nechako River, but another sawmill, Winton Global, was unable to reopen.

Both companies had been on extended Christmas and New Year's shutdowns, a combined reaction to the flooding and negative market forces, and were planning to resume milling on Monday.

Another operation along River Road, Lakeland Mills, has not been impacted in the same way by the flooding.

"It's far from being normal," said John Brink, president of Brink Forest Products. "Pumps are running all around us. We have water still in our yard. The building is dry, but getting to it and away from it is a bit of a challenge."

Starting up the mill -- which produces finger-jointed lumber from wood blocks and low-grade lumber -- puts more than 100 people back to work who had been off the job for nearly one month.

Brink added that, obviously, they are keeping an eye on the river at all times as well.

A surge of water broke through walls of slush and ice on Saturday afternoon, causing river levels to rise several feet in a few hours.

It has flooded the Brink Forest Products' yard and deposited ice.

It's a situation that's happened twice already, and one which Brink expects could happen again.

"It appears like it will be something we have to deal with in some form or fashion for the remainder of the winter," he said.

Winton Global officials could not be reached for comment on Monday.

However, United Steelworkers local 1-424 president Frank Everitt, whose union represents workers at the sawmill, said the company was not able to start operations as planned.

He said Winton Global, which employs about 100 or so people at the River Road site, was set to restart on Monday, but then the water surge on the Nechako during the weekend broke temporary dikes and flooded the company's office, as well as the oil system that heats the mill. The electricity also had to be shut off, noted Everitt.

He said the uncertainty the continued flooding is causing the sawmills and other businesses along River Road -- which employ hundreds of people -- is a concern. "It speaks to the need for the city to focus on short-term and long-term solutions," said Everitt.

There have been no glitches in the start-up of other sawmills coming off their Christmas shut downs, added Everitt.

Virtually all sawmills in B.C.'s Northern Interior took temporary sawmill closures in face of low prices, a high Canadian dollar and a 15-per-cent export tax on lumber shipments to the U.S.

Prices have dropped because of a collapse in the U.S. housing market.

Forest sector analysts don't expect the market to turn around in 2008, and are forecasting more low prices this year.

In reaction, some companies have announced indefinite sawmill closures.

Canfor is closing its Chetwynd sawmill, and has cut the third shifts at three sawmills in Prince George and another in Mackenzie.

AbitibiBowater is also closing its two sawmills in Mackenzie indefinitely. AbitibiBowater is also idling its newsprint mill in Mackenzie.

Statistics Canada figures show that Canadian lumber output is down year over year.

At 2.6 billion board feet, Canadian lumber output for October was up six per cent from September but down 11 per cent from October 2006. Year-to-date output reached 25.8 billion board feet, down 10 per cent from the 2006 pace.

Production in B.C. totaled 13.5 billion board feet, down nine per cent from the year-ago pace. Production exceeded the 2006 pace only in Alberta, which was up almost five per cent to 2.7 billion board feet.

Alberta is beginning to battle the mountain pine beetle epidemic.