Interfor Corp., the Canadian company that owns the sawmill in Gilchrist, has bought four other U.S. mills from Simpson Lumber Co. for $94.7 million, the company announced today.

The Vancouver-British Columbia-based Interfor purchased mills in Tacoma and Longview, Washington; Meldrim, Georgia, and Georgetown, South Carolina, according to a news release. The purchase gives the company 18 mills in the U.S. and Canada, according to its website. It owns a second Oregon mill in Molalla.

Interfor bought the Gilchrist mill, located about 15 miles south of La Pine, in 2004 and has invested more than $15 million into the operation, according to a July news release. The amount includes $5 million in 2013 for molding and planing equipment to mill premium boards called Reserve Pine, the news release stated.