Weyerhaeuser has laid off 73 people at its Castleberry, Alabama lumber mill, less than a month after it closed its sawmill and veneer mill near Pine Hill.

Workers were told this week that Weyerhaeuser was cutting a shift. The laid-off workers were sent home, but will be paid and receive benefits for 60 days. About 100 people remain on another shift at the Conecuh County mill.

Weyerhaeuser, which is based in Federal Way, Washington, had 225 people at the plant last year.

Wood product makers have laid off thousands of workers in southwest Alabama since early 2007, as demand for such products has declined along with nationwide demand for new homes.