Pope & Talbot Announces Temporary Shutdown of Two Lumber Mills


Portland, Oregon, USA, 14 August 2007 --(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Pope & Talbot, Inc (NYSE:POP) today announced a two-week shutdown for saw mills in Grand Forks and Castlegar, British Coumbia, Canada. The mills, producers of high-quality softwood lumber products, will be shut down beginning 20 August through 03 September to reduce finished goods inventories.

Pope and Talbot CEO Harold Stanton said the move was necessary due to the falling prices of softwood lumber products brought on by the downturn in the U.S. housing market. "The poor softwood lumber market has led to a situation where it is not profitable for us to run at normal capacity," said Stanton. "Moving forward, we will continue to make adjustments as the market dictates."

Pope & Talbot is a pulp and wood products business. The company is based in Portland, Oregon, and trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol POP. Pope & Talbot was founded in 1849 and produces market pulp and softwood lumber at mills in the United States and Canada. Markets for the company's products include the United States, Europe, Canada, South America, and the Pacific Rim. For more information, visit www.poptal.com.