USA and Canada

• Wood Products reports strongest quarterly earnings since 2005
• Board of Directors increased dividend by 18 percent on April 11 to 20 cents per share
• Weyerhaeuser upgraded to investment grade on improved performanc

Weyerhaeuser Company (NYSE: WY) today reported net earnings of $144 million, or 26 cents per diluted share, for the first quarter. This compares with net earnings before special items of $9 million, or 2 cents per diluted share, for the same period...(Read More)

PASADENA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr. 25, 2013-- The Board of Directors of Avery Dennison Corporation (NYSE:AVY) has increased the quarterly cash dividend, the company announced today. The board declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.29 per share, reflecting a two cent, or 7 percent, increase over the previous dividend. The dividend is payable June 19, 2013, to shareholders of record on June 5, 2013. About Avery Dennison Avery Dennison (NYSE:AVY) helps make brands more inspiring and the world more intelligent. For more than 75 years the company has been a global leader in pressure-sensiti...

1Q13 Reported EPS (including discontinued operations) of $0.57 Adjusted EPS (non-GAAP, continuing operations) of $0.59 1Q13 Net sales grew approx. 4 percent to $1.50 billion Net sales up approx. 4 percent on organic basis Returned $89 million of cash to shareholders, with dividends of $27 million and repurchase of 1.5 million shares for $62 million Restructuring program on track to achieve more than $100 million in annualized savings by mid-2013 Obtained all r...

Newfoundland officials have confirmed that all or almost all of a $90 million business fund set aside in the provincial budget is destined to be a loan to Kruger’s Corner Brook mill. The terms of the potential loan have not been revealed.

A second environmental group has quit the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement (CBFA), an agreement endorsed by forest industry and environmental groups to protect Canada’s Boreal forest. Saying “not one hectare of Canada’s Boreal...

The Forest Products Association of Canada’s (FPAC) social media campaign to recruit deserving students to work this summer at leading forest products companies has wrapped up with seven candidates offered summer paid summer interships.

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr. 22, 2013-- Plum Creek Timber Company, Inc. (NYSE: PCL) today announced the completion of the purchase of approximately 46,000 acres of timberlands in western Georgia and eastern Alabama from the Campbell Group, LLC for approximately $72 million. “We are pleased to add these well-managed timberlands to our existing asset base in this attractive timber market,” said Rick Holley, Plum Creek chief executive officer. “We’re uniquely positioned to efficiently integrate these lands into our operations and generate an attractive return for our investors.” Plum Creek is one of the larg...

MEMPHIS, Tenn., April 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- International Paper (NYSE: IP) announced today it is in talks with Unisource regarding a proposed business combination of xpedx, International Paper's distribution business, and Unisource.  Both xpedx and Unisource are business-to-business distributors of printing, packaging and facility supplies. The discussions were initiated when Unisource approached International Paper about a possible merger, and on April 19, 2013, the parties entered into a non-binding letter of intent to explore a possible transaction. (Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20020701/IPLOGO ) The letter of intent outlines a "Reverse Morris Trust" transaction in w...

Catalyst Paper has announced that president and CEO Kevin J. Clarke will step down from his position later this spring. Clarke has advised Catalyst's Board of Directors that, with the company's recent financial restructuring successfully...

The federal government, through the Canada Economic Development agency, has granted $3.7 million to FPInnovations, and another $1 million to the Quebec Wood Export Bureau, in the name of supporting the Quebec forest industry.

The Kruger Corner Brook paper mill received a boost from the Newfoundland government recently, when the provincial cabinet quietly extended a tax exemption until at least 2017, reports The Telegram. The St. John’s newspaper estimates the...

The Biotechnology Industry Organization's (BIO) 10th Annual World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology is coming to Montreal June 16-19.

Weyerhaeuser Company (NYSE: WY) today announced that its board of directors has authorized an 18 percent increase in the company’s regular quarterly cash dividend, from $0.17 per share to $0.20 per share.

The board declared a dividend of $0.20 per share on the common stock of the corporation, payable May 31, 2013, to shareholders of record at the close of business May 10, 2013.

“The board is committed to a sustainable and growing dividend,” said Chuck Williamson, chairman of the...(Read More)

Work to Focus on Forest Conservation in Southeastern United States MEMPHIS, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr. 10, 2013-- International Paper, the world’s largest paper company and Dogwood Alliance, one of the Southern United States leading forest conservation organizations, announced an agreement today that will help advance science based forestry improvements in the world’s largest paper producing region. The former foes will map forests around International Paper’s southeastern operations to identify whether any endangered forests or high conservation value areas exist. This mapping will help ensure that IP is not sourcing from ...

PASADENA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr. 9, 2013-- Avery Dennison Corporation (NYSE:AVY) will host its first quarter 2013 earnings conference call in a live Webcast for investors, equity analysts, portfolio managers and media representatives at 2:00 p.m. Eastern time/11:00 a.m. Pacific time on Wednesday, April 24, 2013. The Webcast will follow the Company's first quarter 2013 earnings news release which will be issued earlier that morning at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time/5:30 a.m. Pacific time. The webcast can be accessed at www.investors.averydennison.com. A replay will be available following the event. About Aver...

Cascades Tissue Group has extended its Cascades Moka line with the launch of unbleached, 100% recycled, facial tissue. This new beige-colored facial tissue is one of the softest of its kind on the market, says Cascades.

Fernando Preto is the new executive director of the Canadian Bioenergy Association (CanBio). Preto is a chemical engineer by training and an established leader in the Canadian bioenergy and bioeconomy sectors.

Canada's Minister of Natural Resources, Joe Oliver, announced in early April a total of $30.4 million in federal funding to further support the transformation of the forest industry through innovation and market expansion.

Three capital projects in the works for Northern Pulp Nova Scotia are expected to save the NBSK mill about $16 million per year. The projects include the conversion of two boilers and a lime kiln to burn natural gas, and the construction of an...

Weyerhaeuser Company (NYSE: WY) will hold its annual analyst meeting at 9 a.m. Eastern on Friday, May 10 in New York City at the Sofitel Hotel. The meeting is expected to last until noon.

To pre-register for the meeting and live webcast, go to http://meetings.weyerhaeuser.com/profile/web/83430. The presentation, with slides, will be webcast live beginning at 9 a.m. Eastern at Read More)