The Georgia-Pacific plywood plant in Gloster and the sawmill in Roxie are humming with activity as the corporation re-opens the two locations after closures of about three years.

&8220;We&8217;re fast on our way,&8221; said James Malone, corporate spokesman for the company, with headquarters in Atlanta. &8220;We&8217;re probably at two-thirds or three-fourths staff now.&8221;

At Roxie, managers moved quickly about the small office building at the edge of the mill last week, working out details to make ready for full production of some of the $1.3 billion worth of timber damaged by Hurricane Katrina both on private and public land.

At Gloster, truck traffic into and out of the plant signaled a return to normal Friday, as machinery hummed behind the chain-link fence and a hint of sawdust filled the air.

&8220;Each week, we get stronger and stronger,&8221; Malone said. &8220;We&8217;ve been making board at the Gloster plant.&8221;

During the idle years, the company continued to maintain the plant and mill and keep skeleton staff, he said. &8220;One of our philosophies is that idle plants stay run-ready, have a skeleton staff and keep the plant in the most optimal position without the machinery being run. Our ability to be where we are now is proof of the importance of having that kind of preparation.&8221;

In mid September, Georgia-Pacific announced that the mills in Gloster and Roxie would re-open, providing about 500 jobs to the region.

The timber made available by the hurricane gave the company reason for the start-ups this month. However, A.D. &8220;Pete&8221; Correll, the company&8217;s chairman and CEO, has said, &8220;We wouldn&8217;t start them up and bring them back and then in a couple of years say, &8216;Oh my goodness, we&8217;re closing.&8221;

What&8217;s more, state officials have said more than 1,000 indirect jobs will be created through suppliers.

Applicants throughout Mississippi have been urged to fill out applications at the state&8217;s Workforce Investment Network centers, Malone said.

&8220;Anyone in the state of Mississippi with a background in manufacturing can apply through a WIN job center,&8221; Malone said. Employment professionals at the center will match skills and experience with jobs that are available.

Peggy Ballard of the Natchez WIN center said her office continues to take applications. &8220;The referrals have begun,&8221; she said.

Georgia-Pacific has 20 other plants in Mississippi, with about 3,500 employees in state.

With more than 300 sites in North America and Europe, the company employs 55,000. Sales reported for 2004 were approximately $20 billion.

Georgia-Pacific built the Gloster plant in 1967 and acquired the Roxie mill six years later, in 1973.

The company expects the Gloster plant to employ about 350 people and the Roxie mill more than 100.