Fortress Paper updates status of dissolving pulp production (Canada)

Fortress Paper Ltd. ("Fortress Paper" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has ramped up production of dissolving pulp at its Fortress Specialty Cellulose Mill to an average of approximately 92% of final targeted capacity during the last 10 days and have averaged approximately 83% over the last 4 weeks. The mill commenced production of dissolving pulp at the end of 2011 and has been steadily improving its production efficiency and technical capabilities. Following initial delays, we recently took scheduled periods of downtime to eliminate process constraints. These have proven successful and the ramp-up to full capacity continues to improve. The dissolving pulp being produced is meeting customer specifications and shipments to viscose customers located in China are increasing in volume.

Chad Wasilenkoff, Chief Executive Officer of Fortress Paper, commented: "We are pleased with the ramp-up of dissolving pulp production at our Fortress Specialty Cellulose Mill and the quality of the product. With our continually increasing production of dissolving pulp as well as process optimization, we are well on our way to achieving management's forecasted top quartile cost structure once our Cogeneration facility is fully operational. We expect our dissolving pulp segment to provide a meaningful contribution to our financial results as the year progresses."