FREDERICTON, New Brunswick – Two Irving-owned mills in New Brunswick will reopen early next month and most of the 110 employees affected by shutdowns this month will go back to their old jobs, but a northern Maine mill remains closed indefinitely.

Doaktown Mayor Charles Stewart said Tuesday about 25 percent of the work force at the mills in Doaktown may not return.

Earlier this month, the J.D. Irving white pine sawmill and the planer mill value-added center closed temporarily pending a turnaround in market conditions. Mary Keith, a spokeswoman for Irving, said both mills will reopen March 2 and use 11/2 shifts rather than the usual two shifts a day.

Keith said 30 workers whose jobs won’t be filled because of the reduced number of shifts could find employment in other areas of the mills.

“We are committed to bringing the mill back into operation,” she said. “We are currently conducting one-on-one interviews with the affected employees to determine where they could be.”

Keith said circumstances haven’t changed for workers at the Pinkham mill in Aroostook County, Maine.

“That mill is down indefinitely,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Napadogan veneer mill that closed last year is preparing to reopen May 1.