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Fraser Papers Inc.Fraser Papers has posted a net loss of $13.1 million in its first quarter 2010.
As a result of the sale of Fraser Papers' specialty papers assets to Twin Rivers Paper Company Inc. and the sale of their pulp mill in Thurso, Québec in April 2010, the operating results of these operations have been disclosed as "discontinued operations" in the Statements of Operations.
Fraser Papers has filed its first quarter 2010 financial statements, including the related management discussion and analysis, on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. As a result, the Company is now in compliance with its continuous disclosure obligations.
In December 2009, Fraser Papers submitted a restructuring proposal to the courts that has provided for an early exit from creditor protection for its core specialty papers business and should provide for the maximum recovery of value for creditors.
The proposal involved a two-stage process that created a stand-alone business out of Fraser Papers' specialty papers assets to be followed by the subsequent divestiture of the remaining assets by way of separate transactions.
The proceeds from the sale of the specialty papers assets to Twin Rivers, plus additional proceeds from the sale of the remaining assets in Fraser Papers, will be used to settle the remaining secured claims against Fraser Papers, prior to distributing any remaining proceeds to its unsecured creditors.
The remaining assets include a paper mill in Gorham, New Hampshire and two lumbermills in northern Maine. Fraser Papers completed the sale to Twin Rivers on April 28, and the sale of the pulp mill in Thurso, Québec on April 30, 2010.
The ultimate recovery for the creditors of Fraser Papers, if any, will not be determined until a final determination of all the claims against the company and a distribution of the net proceeds.
West Fraser Timber has posted a profit of $19 million in its first quarter 2010 ($0.45 a share).
West Fraser Timber owes its profit to rebounding lumber prices. The company warned that prices may decline later this year though, as idled production capacity elsewhere in the industry comes back online. This will be especially true if the U.S. housing construction market does not have a significant improvement this year.
The company, which shut down its Eurocan linerboard mill in Kitimat, British Columbia, late last year, said its profit from continuing operations was C$34 million, versus a loss of C$80 million a year ago.
Sales were C$688 million, up from C$558 million.
Interfor Forest Products Ltd. may reopen its Castlegar mill on a reduced basis as early as July because of the increases in lumber pricing and demand.
Interfor posted a net quarterly loss of $3.4 million in its first quarter, compared to a loss of $13.6 million in its first quarter last year.
Interfor's revenue totalled $139.9 million, up sharply from $77.3 million.
You will find Forest Products Industry market reports as long they have been published and we got evidence of those...
SANTIAGO, March 26 (Reuters) - Chilean industrial conglomerate Copec (Celulosa Arauco) said on Friday its 2009 full-year net profit fell 2.4 percent from a year earlier as fallout from the global financial crisis weighed on its forestry business.
The company, one of the world's largest wood pulp exporters, posted a 12-month profit of $576 million compared with $590 million during full-year 2008.
Revenue fell to $9.94 billion from $14.32 billion a year earlier.
"The fall in the company's gross margin was basically due to the performance of the forestry sector, which during the first months of the year was strongly affected by the global financial crisis," Copec said in a statement to Chile's market regulator.
"This was reflected in lower dynamism and demand in markets in which the company is present," it added, citing lower prices and sales volumes. "However these trends started to reverse in recent months, especially in cellulose."
Copec shares closed 0.2 percent firmer on Friday at 7,779.90 pesos, outperforming the wider market, which closed slightly lower.
Copec is the most heavily weighted share on Chile's bourse, accounting for about 13 percent of the blue chip IPSA .IPSA index.
However, just as its pulp business was recovering from the global financial crisis, forestry unit Arauco was battered by last month's massive earthquake, which knocked out several of its plants in south-central Chile and will affect its first quarter results.
TimberWest is reporting that 2009 was its worst year on record for the company.
Sales were $318.4 million in 2007, $163.7 million in 2008, and $150.3 million in 2009.
TimberWest is reported a net loss of $55.4 million for 2009.
With the difficult economic and business conditions, TimberWest continued to defer private and public land harvests, conserve cash and protect its balance sheet.
TimberWest completed a refinancing package by raising $150 million by way of a 9% five-year convertible debenture issue and finalized a three-year revolving loan agreement with a syndicate of banks, deferred all 2009 distribution payments on the Stapled Units for 18 months, elected to pay interest on the convertible debentures in kind and has further reduced the workforce and overhead costs.
Western Forest Products has posted a net quarterly loss of $3.1 million for its fourth quarter of 2009, on sales of $139.3 million.
Over the entire year of 2009, Western Forest Products posted a net loss of 75.3 million on sales of $580.5 million.
Western Forest Products said their operating results of 2009 were significantly impacted by a severe global recession, weak product demand, and the strengthening of the Canadian dollar relative to the US dollar.
Western Forest Products said their management has taken significant action to improve the financial results of the company by curtailing production to reduce inventory levels, downsizing staff, and reducing overall costs.
As a result of these actions, and coupled with slightly improving market conditions, Western Forest Products's EBITDA improved to negative $2.9 million over the last six months of 2009 compared to negative $31.9 million over the first six months of 2009.
2009 fourth quarter EBITDA of $2.3 million represents the first positive EBITDA quarter since the second quarter of 2007.
Western Forest Products Annual Report for 2009 containing discussion and analysis for the fourth quarter and full year as well as the Annual Information Form are available on SEDAR and the company's website at www.westernforest.com.
Sappi expects weaker Q2 profit as input costs rise
Paper and pulp producer Sappi expected its 2010 second-quarter operating profit, excluding special items, to remain positive, but said this would be below the level achieved in the first quarter of the year, given rising input costs. Speaking at the group’s annual general meeting, on Monday, nonexecutive chairperson Dr Danie Cronje noted that conditions in the group’s largest markets were expected to improve gradually in 2010, which would result in rising demand for its products.
“Input prices for our raw materials and energy are likely to continue rising,” he stated.
Further Cronje highlighted that strong demand for pulp and chemical cellulose, which would be accompanied by rising prices for these products, would have a favourable impact on the group’s South African and North American businesses, as these were net pulp sellers.However, the increased pulp prices would lead to higher costs for Sappi’s European business, which bought more than half of its pulp requirements.
The European business would already have been negatively impacted on by the fact that the recovery in the coated mechanical paper segment was lagging that of the coated woodfree paper.Sappi would, subsequently, increase its European coated woodfree paper prices by 10% from March.
“While we continue to face volatile market conditions and our finance costs will be substantially higher than in the past, we believe we are on the way to improved profitability and returns and lower debt levels,” said Cronje.
Meanwhile, he added that a schedule pulp mill maintenance shut down at its Nogdwana Mill and a five-day shut down at its Saiccor Mill, in January and February, would impact negatively on the group’s second-quarter results.Further, the group expected its Stockstadt coated woodfree paper machine to restart at the end of March. The machine had been shut down as a result of an electrical fire in December. Restoration costs and the business interruption would amount to about $30-million.
FEB 16, 2010: Paper and pulp manufacturer MONDI expects to report a basic loss a share of between €0,04 a share and €0,08 a share for the 2009 full-year, saying that its results had been impacted on by a €128-million net special items charge.
The company had recorded a €0,41 a share basic loss in 2008, after incurring a €383-million net special items charge in that year.
Mondi, which would publish its results on February 23, noted on Tuesday that the €128-million charge was mainly as a result of earlier restructuring actions taken in response to the prevailing market conditions.
Of the full amount, €78-million had been incurred in the first half of the year, with the remaining €50-million in the second half being incurred mainly as a result of a goodwill impairment in its Europapier business, asset impairment costs in Austria and Germany and restructuring costs related to the mothballing of a paper machine at its Merebank mill, in South Africa.
The paper group’s JSE share price rose by 1,58% to R43,68 a share by 15:50, compared with Monday’s close of R43 a share.
http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/mondi-expects-full-year-loss-2010-02-16
FEB 10, 2010: Canfor has reported a net loss of $17 million in their fourth quarter of 2009. The loss can be compared to a net loss of $5.2 million for the third quarter of 2009 and a net loss of $229.8 million for the fourth quarter of 2008.
For the entire year of 2009, Canfor has reported a net loss of $70.5 million. In 2008, Canfor reported a net loss of $345.2 million.
http://foresttalk.com/index.php/2010/02/10/canfor-posts-net-quarterly-loss-of-17-million
FEB 5, 2010: Weyerhaeuser Co. lost $175 million in the fourth quarter and $575 million in 2009, as the forestry and real estate firm continued to struggle with the depressed market for new homes.
The Federal Way, Wash., company did improve its results over 2008, when it lost $1.2 billion in a year of huge write-downs. 
Among cuts in 2009, the firm idled a lumber and veneer mill in Yellow Bluff, laying off 320 people, as well as a joist mill in Castleberry, laying off 200.
http://blog.al.com/press-register-business/2010/02/weyerhaueser_co_losses_narrow.html
FEB 4, 2010: Domtar is reporting a quarterly net profit of $124 million in its 4th quarter of 2009. In comparison, Domtar reported a net loss of $676 million in its 4th quarter of 2008.
In the 4th quarter of 2009, Domtar received a tax credit of $162 million through alternative bio fuel mixture programs.
http://foresttalk.com/index.php/2010/02/04/domtar-reports-quarterly-net-earnings-of-124-million.
Domtar Corporation (NYSE/TSX: UFS) today reported net earnings of
FEB 3, 2010: International Paper has reported their preliminary full year, 2009 net earnings, along with their 4th quarter results.
2009 - net earning of $663 million
2008 - net loss of $1.3 billion
In the fourth quarter of 2009, the company reported a net loss of $101 million ($0.24 per share) compared with a net loss of $1.8 billion ($4.25 per share) in the fourth quarter of 2008. Amounts in all periods include special items.
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Forest products industries: Losses or earnings?
