<p>February 22, 2008—Continued poor market fundamentals have lead to temporary curtailments at all four of Tolko’s Cariboo lumber operations.</p>
<p>A minimum two-week curtailment will begin March 3, affecting more than 1,100 direct and contractor employees. Nearly 40 million board feet, or one billion board feet on an annual basis, will be removed from the marketplace.</p>
<p>“These decisions are never easy and they are even more difficult when our employees, mills and contractors have performed so well,” says Rob Fraser, General Manager, Cariboo and Alberta Lumber. “Unfortunately, the current economic conditions do not support the continued operation of our mills at their current levels.”</p>
<p>A return to operation for all four mills will depend on market improvements.</p>
<p>Tolko Industries Ltd. is a private, Canadian-owned forest products company based in Vernon, British Columbia with over 4,500 employees. Tolko is a major producer and marketer of lumber, veneer, plywood, oriented strand board, and kraft papers, with manufacturing operations across Western Canada. The Company’s Woodlands operations have received third-party certification of their sustainable forest management systems.</p>
<p>Contact<br />Rob Fraser General Manager, Cariboo & Alberta Lumber<br />250-392-3371 </p>
