SPRINGFIELD, Ore. -- Roseburg Forest Products laid off about 90 employees at their Dillard plywood plant on Friday.

The company cited “unfavorable conditions” in the plywood market in North America as the reason behind the decision.

“After waiting for months for markets to improve, we have reached the point where a layoff is necessary to better match supply with weakened demand,” Senior Vic President of Operations Jake Elston said. “Slow housing starts, imported plywood, and increased competition from OSB manufacturers are all driving the imbalance in the market. This is an unfortunate but necessary step toward preserving the long-term viability of our plywood business.”

Operations at the plywood plants in Riddle and Coquille will continue as usual, company officials said.

Of those laid off, about 50 have been offered jobs at Roseburg Forest Products' other wood product plants, according to the company. They said the rest will be considered first for jobs at other facilities when there are openings.

Roseburg Forest Products was founded in 1936 and manages more than 600,000 acres of timberland in Oregon, North Carolina and Virginia.