BUCKHANNON — The City of Buckhannon is to receive a $1 million multi-year investment from Weyerhaeuser, one of the largest private owners of timberlands.

Weyerhaeuser, which owns or controls approximately 10.4 million acres of timberlands in the U.S., announced this month that it will be committing to invest $1 million in Buckhannon through the company’s THRIVE program. The company said the investment will be made “over the next several years” with input from local elected officials, business leaders, nonprofits, employees and other community partners.

“Rural operating communities like Buckhannon are so important to the success of our business and to the greater health of the forest products industry,” Weyerhaeuser president and chief executive officer Devin W. Stockfish said in a press release. “We want to make sure these communities remain great places to live, work and do business for years to come, and are looking forward to growing the positive impact of our THRIVE program as we expand it in Buckhannon and the surrounding area.”

THRIVE was launched by Weyerhaeuser in 2023 to provide “targeted assistance to five of its rural operating communities.” Buckhannon is the third community to be selected for the program.

According to the company, Weyerhaeuser has operated an engineered wood products plant in Buckhannon for more than 25 years, with the facility consistently ranking among the company’s “top-performing sites for safety and manufacturing reliability.”

“We are excited and grateful to be selected as Weyerhaeuser’s next THRIVE community,” Buckhannon Mayor Robbie Skinner said in a release. “This investment is a clear signal of Weyerhaeuser’s commitment to Buckhannon, and we look forward to partnering with company leaders and the people of this great community to build a stronger and better future together.”

In communities selected for the THRIVE program, Weyerhaeuser said their leaders engage deeply with local stakeholders to “identify and prioritize the challenges to be addressed through long-term collaboration, investment and advocacy.” The company stated that the potential opportunities in Buckhannon include youth education and workforce development.

“Every THRIVE community has different needs and priorities,” Weyerhaeuser’s senior director of Advocacy and Philanthropy Nancy Thompson said in the company’s release. “We’re looking forward to hearing directly from the Buckhannon community and working with the people and organizations there to support projects and community improvements that make a real and lasting impact.”