Western Forest Products Appoints Shannon Janzen as Chief Forester

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - July 10, 2013) - Don Demens, President and CEO of Western Forest Products Inc. (TSX:WEF) is pleased to announce the promotion of Shannon Janzen to Chief Forester, effective immediately.

Previously Manager, Strategic Planning, Ms. Janzen is a Registered Professional Forester and clearly demonstrates the leadership qualities required for the role of Chief Forester. She brings over 10 years' experience in developing and implementing land use policies and practices.

Ms. Janzen also has a proven track record of building strategic relationships and partnerships with First Nations, Environmental groups and various levels of Government on the coast of British Columbia.

In her new role, Ms. Janzen is accountable for developing and implementing economically viable and environmentally responsible strategies and solutions associated with business investments on crown lands to advance the Company's strategy. She will also ensure the Company continues to demonstrate sustainability across its operations and through the safe management of its forest tenures.

Ms. Janzen received her Bachelor of Science in Forestry from University of Northern British Columbia in 1998 and also achieved her Registered Professional Forester status in 2000.

"I am very pleased that Shannon has accepted the role of Chief Forester," said Don Demens, President and CEO. "She has been instrumental in helping us establish positive business relationships and joint ventures with First Nations and her knowledge of our industry has been critical in defining our long-term strategy at Western. I am confident her leadership will continue to strengthen Western's position as a globally competitive forest products business."

Western Forest Products

Western is an integrated Canadian forest products company and the largest coastal British Columbia woodland operator and lumber producer with an annual available harvest of approximately 6.4 million cubic metres of timber, of which approximately 6.2 million cubic metres is from Crown lands and lumber capacity in excess of 1.1 billion board feet from eight sawmills and two remanufacturing plants. Principal activities conducted by the Company include timber harvesting, reforestation, sawmilling logs into lumber and wood chips and value-added remanufacturing. Substantially all of Western's operations, employees and corporate facilities are located in the coastal region of British Columbia, while its products are sold in over 25 countries worldwide.