ASHLAND, Maine — J.D. Irving, Limited Sawmills Division announced that it will invest $30 million in a new state-of-the-art Softwood sawmill at Ashland (Nashville Plantation), Maine. During the construction phase, the new facility will employ up to 50 people at peak. Once the mill is operating, 60 permanent jobs will be created. Biomass boilers, dry kilns, and a planer mill will also be part of the investment. Construction will begin shortly, pending favorable permitting; and the new mill is expected to open in late Spring of 2014. The lumber produced at this new facility will be certified under the Forest Stewardship Council or the Sustainable Forestry Initiative programs. …The round wood log supply for the new sawmill will be procured from the company’s Maine freehold woodlands as well as other woodlot and timberland owners in the state. The company has reached an agreement with the United Steel Workers Union (USW) to certify the site.