New RISI Study Reports China Woodchip Imports Up 340% Since 2008, Likely to Double Again By 2015

BOSTON, March 7, 2011 - RISI, the leading information provider for the global forest products
industry, today reported that China's imports of woodchips increased 340%
between 2008 and 2010, and that import levels are expected to more than
double by 2015. This prediction is included in a newly published Special
Market Analysis Study: The 18th annual International Pulpwood Trade Review.
This annual report has become an essential tool for operators of tree farms
and managed forests, pulplog/woodchip importers/exporters, pulp producers,
transport/shipping companies, financiers and investors. This year's Review
provides detailed information on changes to global demand and supply for
pulpwood fiber, as well as a comprehensive register of global pulplog and
woodchip suppliers, traders and buyers.

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The Review includes details on woodchip trading companies and end-users,
along with details on 135 woodchip export operations around the world and a
complete listing of the 168 specialized woodchip carriers in service in early
2011, including owners and charterers.

Robert Flynn, co-author of the Review, commented, "The international
woodchip trade jumped to record levels in 2010, in both the Pacific and
Atlantic markets, and biomass exports from North America to Europe also hit
an all-time record. This was good news for those connected to the market,
considering that 2009 was a terrible year for the woodchip trade, and that
was followed by the major earthquake in Chile, one of the world's largest
woodchip suppliers. Looking ahead, there will be new woodchip suppliers
starting up export operations in at least eight countries in 2011/2012, in
response to continued global growth in these markets."

However, co-author Dennis Neilson cautioned, "Larger volumes do not
always mean larger or even sufficient margins for suppliers. Landowners are
realizing lower returns, and coupled with slower economies and rising food
and fuel prices, we are predicting some plantations will switch to more
profitable crops, or that some landowners will simply sell their land after
harvesting." He continued, "So we look to 2011 with clear signs of growing
demand in the markets, but also increasing uncertainty that woodchip prices
will be sufficient to ensure that available supply will be adequate to meet
that demand in the future."

The 2011 Review is co-authored by Robert Flynn, RISI's director of
international timber, and Dennis Neilson, an internationally known New
Zealand-based consultant and expert on the global wood fiber trade.

The 2011 edition of the International Pulpwood Trade Review is available
now. A complete prospectus can be found at www.risiinfo.com/pulpwood.

About RISI

RISI is the leading information provider for the global forest products
industry. The company works with clients in the timber, wood products,
bioenergy, pulp and paper, tissue, nonwovens, printing and publishing
industries to help them make better decisions.

Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, RISI operates additional offices
throughout North and South American, Europe and Asia. More information can be
found at www.risi.com.

    Contact:
    Dan Blenk
    Director of Marketing
    RISI
    4 Alfred Circle, Bedford MA 01730 U.S.A.
    Tel: +1-781-734-8942
    Email: dblenk@risiinfo.com

Dan Blenk, Director of Marketing, RISI, +1-781-734-8942, dblenk at risiinfo.com