The Government of Canada has launched a $100-million Investments in Forest Industry Transformation (IFIT) program to help expand opportunities for Canada's forestry sector through the development of innovative projects and technologies. Stockwell Day, president of the Treasury Board, Minister for the Pacific Gateway and Minister Responsible for British Columbia, launched the program in Vancouver and made a call for proposals that could receive IFIT funding.

The purpose of the IFIT program, which was first introduced in Canada's Jobs and Growth Budget 2010, is to demonstrate and deploy new and advanced technologies in the forest sector through investments in innovative processes. Forest sector companies that have existing facilities in Canada, including those that have been recently affected by the global economic downturn, could be eligible for IFIT support.

The Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) commended the Canadian government on the IFIT program. "Today's announcement makes it clear that the Canadian government understands that jobs in the forest industry can only be secured through transformation and that they are ready to play their part," said Avrim Lazar, president and CEO of FPAC.

According to FPAC, forest sector companies that have existing facilities in Canada, including those that have been recently shut down, could be eligible for IFIT support.

This program is consistent with Canada's international trade obligations, including the Softwood Lumber Agreement. Any costs associated with the production or export of softwood lumber products are not eligible under the IFIT program.

The announcement on Aug. 2 opened the first call for proposals under the IFIT program. Individuals interested in learning how to apply for funding under the Investments in Forest Industry Transformation program should visit: forest-transformation.nrcan.gc.ca.

Mr. Elie Hakizumwami is the new Regional Director of FSC Africa. With 32 years of experience in natural resource management and outstanding efforts to promote responsible forestry in the Congo Basin, Mr. Hakizumwami will make a major contribution to consolidating FSC’s presence in the continent. He will take office on 1 August 2010.

The Regional Director will lead all activities of the FSC Africa Regional Office and the implementation of the FSC Africa Regional Strategy including supporting the development of National Initiatives in strategic countries in the region. As FSC’s official representative for the African continent, Mr. Hakizumwami will liaise with international organizations and processes active in the region and engage with government representatives on forest related matters.        

Mr. Hakizumwami has accumulated considerable experience in the coordination of regional programs and networks. He is joining FSC after 13 years of work on the Congo Basin where he assumed different key regional positions such as the Sustainable Use of Renewable Resources Initiative Specialist Group, the African Elephant Specialist Group, the Forestry Programme Regional Coordinator for WWF-Central Africa and the Global Forest & Trade Network (GFTN) Regional Coordinator for Central Africa.

Mr. Hakizumwami holds an MSc in Natural Resources Management from the International Institute for Aerospace Survey and Earth Sciences (ITC) of Enschede, The Netherlands.

The North American-based Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) has applied for assessment and re-endorsement by PEFC, the leading global forest certification umbrella organization. All stakeholders are invited to comment on the compliance of SFI 2010-2014 Standard with PEFC's Sustainability Benchmarks by 6 October 2010.

"With more than half of the total global certified area located in North America, it is important that certification criteria applied there meet internationally-recognized sustainability requirements," said Ben Gunneberg, PEFC International Secretary General. "PEFC only endorses forest certification schemes developed in an open and transparent manner through a multi-stakeholder process, and standards must be reviewed at least every five years to incorporate the latest information and scientific knowledge."

The review process leading to the SFI 2010-2014 Standard was 18 months long, and included two public comment periods and seven regional workshops. It was monitored by the External Review Panel, an independent team of external experts who offer diverse perspectives and expertise to the SFI programme.

Panel Chair Michael Goergen, Executive Vice-President of the Society of American Foresters, called the review "a model of open, transparent, and responsible consideration of public input, scientific and economic factors, and conflicting demands."

The SFI programme responds to local needs and issues across North America through 37 SFI Implementation Committees at the state, provincial or regional level. This unique grassroots network involves private landowners, independent loggers, forestry professionals, local government agencies, academics, scientists, and conservationists.

The SFI 2010-2014 Standard is currently independently assessed by Systain Consulting for compliance with PEFC International's Sustainability Benchmarks. The global public consultation is a essential element of the assessment, providing interested parties with the opportunity to comment on the standard.

The SFI forest certification standard was originally endorsed by PEFC in December 2005, with the current endorsement expiring on 6th December 2010.

Please submit your comments by 6 October 2010 using PEFC's Online Consultation Tool.

Buckeye Technologies Inc. (NYSE:BKI) today announced that its Board of Directors has declared its first regular quarterly cash dividend in the amount of $0.04 per common share payable on September 15, 2010 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on August 16, 2010.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John B. Crowe, said "We are pleased to be able to initiate a regular dividend for the first time in the Company's history. As we have discussed in recent quarterly earnings calls, Buckeye is now well positioned to take a more balanced approach in its allocation of capital as a result of the success we have had over the last several years in reducing our debt and growing our cash flow. In July, we have reduced our total debt well below the bottom end of our target debt range of $200 - $250 million. In addition, this fall we will complete the first phase of our Foley energy independence project and expect to begin realizing savings from this project in the first quarter of calendar 2011. The dividend amounts to approximately $6.5 million on an annual basis, which represents a payout ratio based on adjusted fiscal 2010 net income (excluding special items) of 18%. This in essence is cash flow that was formerly used to reduce our debt and pay our interest expense and now will be used to return cash to shareholders."

Mr. Crowe continued, "Our objectives for returning cash to shareholders in the form of dividends are to increase shareholder returns and to broaden our shareholder base. We expect that Buckeye will continue to generate cash flow from operations sufficient to pay this dividend and grow it over time while also continuing to invest in high-return projects and growth opportunities. Repurchasing shares continues to be another option, subject to market conditions and bond covenant restrictions. Our objective with share repurchases would be to increase shareholder value by generating returns greater than our cost of capital. Currently, we have authorization to repurchase 5.6 million shares, and we would anticipate that any stock repurchases would be made from time to time on an opportunistic basis through open market purchases."

Buckeye, a leading manufacturer and marketer of specialty fibers and nonwoven materials, is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. The Company currently operates facilities in the United States, Germany, Canada, and Brazil. Its products are sold worldwide to makers of consumer and industrial goods.

Certain matters discussed in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws and are intended to qualify for the Safe Harbor from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. "Forward-looking statements" generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "assumptions," "target," "guidance," "outlook," "plans," "projection," "may," "will," "would," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "believe," "potential," or "continue (or the negative or other derivatives of each of these terms or similar terminology). The "forward-looking statements" include, without limitation, statements regarding the Company's intention and ability to generate cash flow to pay dividends and repurchase stock in the future, the completion of the Foley energy independence project and expected savings from that project. These statements are based on management's estimates and assumptions with respect to future events and financial performance and are believed to be reasonable, though are inherently uncertain and difficult to predict.Actual results could differ materially from those projected as a result of certain factors, including but not limited to economic, competitive, governmental, and technological factors affecting the Company's operations, financing, markets, products, services and prices, and other factors.For further information on factors which could affect the Company and the statements contained herein, please refer to the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and other periodic filings that it makes from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE: Buckeye Technologies Inc.

Buckeye Technologies Inc.
Steve Dean, Senior Vice President
and Chief Financial Officer, 901-320-8352
or
Investor Relations:
Daryn Abercrombie, 901-320-8908
Website: www.bkitech.com

Ahlstrom Corporation will publish its interim report for January-June 2010 on Wednesday, August 11, 2010 approximately at 12 a.m. Finnish time (CET +1).

Ahlstrom's President & CEO Jan Lång and CFO Seppo Parvi will present the 2010 second- quarter results in Finnish at a press and analyst conference in Helsinki on August 11 at 2:00 p.m. Finnish time. The conference will take place at event arena Bank, address Unioninkatu 20, 2^nd floor. The name of the meeting room will be displayed on the display board in the lobby.

In addition, a conference call for analysts and investors will be held in English on the same day at 4:00 p.m. Finnish time. To participate in the teleconference, please dial +358 (0)9 2319 4345 in Finland or +44 (0)20 7136 2051 outside Finland a few minutes before the conference begins. The confirmation code is 8978241.

The event can also be viewed as a live audio webcast at www.ahlstrom.com. Registration is required. It is possible to participate in the Q & A session via teleconference or online.

An on-demand audio webcast of the conference will be available on Ahlstrom's website for twelve months after the call.

The presentation material will be available at www.ahlstrom.com > Investors > Reports and presentations > 2010 after the interim report has been published.

Ahlstrom Corporation
Niina Suhonen
Vice President, Corporate Communications

Eucalyptus log prices in Brazil have gone up 25% the past year, almost reaching the global average hardwood fiber price index in the 1Q/2010, reports the Wood Resource Quarterly

The supply and demand for Eucalyptus logs in Brazil has been in balance the past year, which has resulted in stable log prices in the local currency, according to the Wood Resource Quarterly. As a result of the strengthening Real, log costs have gone up in US dollar terms and were 25 percent higher in the 1Q/10 than in early 2009.

The full article can be found in the attached PDF file.....

Australia has increased chip exports of both Eucalyptus and pine in 2010, reports the Wood Resource Quarterly

Export of wood chips from Australia is on the rebound, reports the Wood Resource Quarterly. After last year’s ten-year low, shipments so far in 2010 are up 38 percent for pine chips and 12 percent for Eucalyptus chips. In addition, an estimated 100,000 tons of wood pellets will be shipped to Europe this year.

The full article can be found in the attached PDF file.....