In June 2011, Voith Paper received from Stora Enso the order for the supply of a new paper machine for the production of testliner. The location of the production line will be Ostroleka, approx. 120 km to the north of Warsaw, Poland. With its new PM 5 Stora Enso wants to meet the increasing demand for corrugated board and ensure the competitiveness of its location. The start-up is scheduled for the first quarter of 2013.

At a wire width of 8,600 mm and a design speed of 1,800 m/min, the Narew PM 5 will produce 455,000 metric tons of testliner per year. The new paper machine is especially designed for the production of lightweight testliner in a basis weight range of 65-140 g/m2. Storas Enso's focus of this investment was on low operating costs as well as a resource-efficient overall concept above all.

Voith Paper supplies the entire paper machine from headbox to winder. A particular highlight is the new DuoDryer CC which will be installed in the Narew PM 5 for the first time. It permits symmetrical drying with a continuously closed web run. Light and low-tension papers can be produced at high speed and efficiency with it. Furthermore, a VariFlex winder is included in the scope of supply.

In addition to the OnQ ModuleSteam (steam box) and the OnV ConditionMonitoring (machine monitoring system), the automation package also includes the new OnV EnergyProfiler software. It visualizes the energy consumption of the paper machine and thus permits energy cost saving production. A quality control system with two Voith LSC Scanners supplements the package.

Holmen Paper has appointed Kenneth Ohlsson as the new manager of Hallsta Paper Mill.

Kenneth Ohlsson, 49, currently production manager at Stora Enso's Hylte Paper Mill, succeeds Hannele Arvonen, who will leave Hallsta at the end of August to take up new duties in the Holmen Group.

Mikael Wahlgren, production manager at Hallsta Paper Mill, will take over as temporary mill manager until Kenneth Ohlsson takes up his new position later this autumn.

"Kenneth Ohlsson has long experience of our industry, at mills in Sweden and abroad. He will bring with him important experience, which will be valuable input for us in the future development of Hallsta Paper Mill and Holmen Paper", says Arne Wallin, head of business area Holmen Paper.

Metso and Amcor Packaging (Australia) Pty Ltd have executed an agreement for the supply of mill maintenance services for Amcor’s Botany mill B9 board making line in New South Wales, Australia. The value of the agreement will not be disclosed.

The B9 containerboard production line at the Botany mill will be supplied by Metso and it is scheduled to start up in mid 2012. This main order for the line was received from Amcor and published in 2008.

With this multi-year mill maintenance agreement, which became effective as of July 12, 2011, Metso will assume full responsibility for the establishment of maintenance operations, mill maintenance services and management of improvement projects for the stock and paper production facilities as well as the mill utilities at the Botany mill.

The Metso mill maintenance model optimizes the use of proactive, condition-based maintenance and is based on Metso's streamlined reliability centered maintenance (RCM). The model ensures the highest possible equipment efficiency and cost optimization.

Amcor Packaging (Australia) Pty Ltd is part of Amcor Limited. Amcor Limited is a global packaging manufacturer offering a broad range of plastic, fibre, metal and glass packaging products, along with packaging-related services. It has annual sales of about EUR 9 billion and 35,000 employees worldwide, through more than 300 manufacturing sites it operates in 43 countries.

West Fraser today announced that it has entered into an agreement to sell its Eurocan site located in Kitimat, B.C. and related assets to KM LNG Operating General Partnership. The sale is expected to be completed later in 2011.

“Further to the earlier agreement to sell the wharf to Rio Tinto Alcan Inc., we are pleased to announce the sale of the site to KM LNG, an industrial consortium led by Apache Canada Ltd.” stated Hank Ketcham, West Fraser’s Chairman, President and CEO.

West Fraser is an integrated wood products company producing lumber, wood chips, LVL, MDF, plywood, pulp and newsprint. The Company has operations in western Canada and the southern United States.

West Fraser shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol: “WFT”.

Both the Canadian Sustainable Forest Management Standard (CAN/CSA-Z809-08) and the Canadian Sustainable Forest Management for Woodlots and Other Small Area Forests (CAN/CSA-Z804-08) have been endorsed by PEFC International, the world's largest forest certification system announced today."

"It is satisfying to see that it has been possible to deliver a workable standard that responds to the specific needs of Canadian woodlots owner and at the same time complies with PEFC International's Sustainability Benchmarks," said Peter de Marsh, President of the Canadian Federation of Woodlot Owners (CFWO), which initiated the development of the standard in late 2003."

"Canadian woodlots are on average less than 40 hectares in size and generally owned by rural families, with particular values that the standard needed to address. This standard gives woodlot owners across Canada, which together produce approximately 15% of the Canadian wood supply, access to the benefits of PEFC certification."

CAN/CSA-Z804 - Sustainable Forest Management Standard for Woodlots and other Small Area Forests was developed by the CSA (Canadian Standards Association) Technical Committee on Sustainable Forest Management. The main requirements are based on the Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management approved for Canada by the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers (CCFM).

The standard is very similar in structure and content to CAN/CSA-Z809 SFM Standard, which first achieved PEFC endorsement in 2005. The requirements have however been adapted where necessary to meet the practical realities of managing small forests owned by families, communities and other organizations.

Both standards have been subject to an independent assessment for compliance against PEFC International's Sustainability Benchmarks and public consultations at both national and international level.

53 woodlot owners in Nova Scotia have already broken new ground with certification to the standard in a pilot program supported by the provincial government. The program has now grown to cover 92 woodlot owners and 107 woodlots.

Peter Duinker, Professor of Resource and Environmental Studies at Dalhousie University and Chair of CSA's Sustainable Forest Management Technical Committee, said, "This is a milestone achievement for sustainable forest management in Canada. I'm so proud that the first woodland certified to this standard is right here in my home province."

Ashland Aqualon Functional Ingredients, a commercial unit of Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH), recently began construction on a new nonionic synthetic thickener manufacturing facility in Alizay, France. The new manufacturing facility is scheduled for completion and start-up in late spring of 2012 and will significantly increase global capacity of Aquaflow^(TM) nonionic synthetic associative thickeners (NSATs).

"The new facility is strategically positioned in Western Europe to shorten lead times and improve service for our customers," said Jason Homer, global business manager, Coatings Additives, Ashland Aqualon Functional Ingredients. "Europe in particular, has recently seen a dramatic increase in demand for Aquaflow NSATs. This new facility complements our existing manufacturing capacity and gives us flexibility to improve continuity of supply for all customers worldwide."

The new facility will have capability to produce the full line of low-, mid- and high-shear effective Aquaflow thickeners. "Aquaflow thickeners, which have recently gained tremendous market acceptance, provide paint manufacturers with greatly improved application properties compared to competitive technologies on the market today," said Dale MacDonald, vice president, Coatings Additives, Ashland Aqualon Functional Ingredients. "This major investment demonstrates Ashland's commitment to the market and our dedication to creating innovative rheology solutions. With Aquaflow assets positioned in the U.S. and now in Europe as well, we will be better positioned to service the needs of our global customers."

Ashland Aqualon Functional Ingredients is a leading producer of hydrocolloids, primarily cellulose ethers, worldwide. It provides specialty additives and functional ingredients that manage the physical properties of aqueous and non-aqueous systems including rheology control, water retention, bonding strength, film formation, conditioning, deposition and stabilization. Many of its products - used in paint and coatings, construction, food, personal care,  pharmaceuticals, oil and gas field production and specialty industries - are derived from renewable and natural raw materials.

Increased foreign interest in pulp mills and plantations in Australia while the timber ownership is in transitional mode, reports the Wood Resource Quarterly

The plantation ownership in Australia is in transition after the Management Investment Scheme (MIS) collapsed in 2009, reports the Wood Resource Quarterly. Foreign pension funds and pulp companies have shown increased interest in acquiring timber assets as forest plantations owners have gone into receivership.

Seattle, USA. In the aftermath of the collapsed Management Investment Schemes (MIS), plantation ownership and management of the Australian timber resources is in a transitional mode, reports the Wood Resource Quarterly. The MIS plantation scheme was launched in 1997 with the objective of pooling funds from small investors to make large investments in forest plantations. The MIS companies established, managed and marketed the timber investments on behalf of the individual investors. During the period 1997 until the partial collapse in 2009, the plantation area in Australia grew from 1.1
million hectares (ha) to about 1.9 million ha, with Eucalyptus being the preferred species planted. At that time, MIS companies managed about 75 percent of the hardwood plantations and six percent of the softwood plantations.

Since 2009, a number of MIS forest companies have gone into receivership, including the FEA Group, Great Southern Plantations, Environinvest, Willmott Forestry and Timber Corp. There are reportedly a number of timber companies and investors showing interest in taking over the management responsibility of the MIS schemes.

Unexpectedly, an investment company in the province of Alberta, Canada, recently announced it would acquire 240,000 ha of timber assets from the largest MIS company, Great Southern Plantations. The institutional investment company, AIMCo, which invests globally on behalf of pension and government funds, will partner with the Australia New Zealand Forest Fund. The new ownership may create a more stable long–term supply source for forest and energy companies located in Asia.

There is continued interest from foreign investors both to acquire pulp mills and forest plantations. The latest development is the Singapore-based pulp company APRIL, with pulp mills in Indonesia and China, which is considering the purchase of forest plantations and export chip loading facilities. The intention would be to export Eucalyptus wood chips to the company’s pulp plant in Rizhao, China.

Plantation Eucalyptus log production in the 1Q/11 was significantly higher than the same quarter last year. This development came at the same time as availability of roundwood and wood chips from natural forests declined substantially. Prices for pulplogs have not shifted much the past year in local currency, with plantation hardwood continuing to be about 24 percent higher for plantation wood compared to wood from natural forests.

Pine and Eucalyptus pulplog prices, in US dollar terms, have climbed steadily in Australia for almost two years, according to the Wood Resource Quarterly (WRQ). Prices are currently the highest ever recorded since WRQ started tracking Australian prices in 1990. During the past nine years, Eucalyptus log prices have more than tripled, with only Sweden, Spain and Germany currently having higher hardwood pulpwood prices.

Verso Paper Corp. has announced that it will report its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2011, in a news release before the market opens on Thursday, August 11, 2011. Management will host a conference call at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, August 11, 2011, to discuss the second quarter results.

This release and the second quarter results will be made available on Verso's website at www.versopaper.com/investorrelations by navigating to the Financial Information page.

Analysts and investors may participate in the live conference call by dialing 719-457-2705 or, within the U.S. and Canada only, 888-481-2845, access code 4576177. To register, please dial in 10 minutes before the conference call begins. The conference call and presentation materials can be accessed on Verso's website at www.versopaper.com/investorrelations by navigating to the Events page, or at http://investor.versopaper.com/eventdetail.cfm?eventid=99890.

A telephonic replay of the call can be accessed at 719-457-0820 or, within the U.S. and Canada only, 888-203-1112, access code 4576177. This replay will be available starting at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, August 11, 2011, and will remain available for 14 days.

Clearwater Paper Corporation (NYSE:CLW) announced today that Gordon Jones, chairman, president and CEO, and Linda Massman, senior vice president and CFO, will be presenting at the Jefferies 2011 Global Industrial and A&D Conference on Tuesday, August 9, 2011, at 3:30 PM EDT. A live audio webcast of the presentation and accompanying slide materials will be accessible via Clearwater Paper's investor relations section of the company's website at http://ir.clearwaterpaper.com/events.cfm. An audio replay of the webcast will be available at the site for 90 days.

ABOUT CLEARWATER PAPER

Clearwater Paper manufactures quality consumer tissue, away-from-home tissue, hard roll tissue, machine glazed tissue, bleached paperboard, pulp and wood products at 15 manufacturing locations in the U.S. and Canada. The company is a premier supplier of private label tissue to major retailers and wholesale distributors. This includes grocery, drug, mass merchants and discount stores. The company also produces bleached paperboard used by quality-conscious printers and packaging converters. Clearwater Paper's more than 4,000 employees build shareholder value by developing strong customer partnerships through quality and service.

For additional information on Clearwater Paper, please visit our website at www.clearwaterpaper.com.

The Metso-relocated newsprint machine, PM 1, of Guangdong Huatai Paper Co., Ltd. in Jiangmen City, Guangdong Province in China successfully started up on May 25, 2011.

Metso’s delivery package comprised engineering and supervision services for dismantling, packing, installation and start-up of the relocated paper machine line. The delivery also included a new two-loop deinking line with reject handling which will provide the stock for the paper machine. The line has a drum pulper with improved mechanical construction and main drive design together with Metso’s new linear cell flotation technology for main and post flotation.

The 5.56-m-wide (trim) PM 1 has an annual dimensional production capacity of close to 200,000 tonnes of newsprint within the basis weight range of 42 to 48 g/m². The paper machine design speed is 1,800 m/min.

Reconditioning, rebuilding and eventual relocating of entire production lines is part of Metso’s service offering for paper machines. It combines machine rebuilding business, project management and automation solutions.

Huatai Group produces newsprint, uncoated fine paper, coated art paper and tissue with an annual capacity exceeding 3.0 million tonnes. Guangdong Huatai Paper Co. Ltd. is a member of the Huatai Group.