Western Forest Products Appoints Don Demens as President and Chief Executive Officer

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Feb. 21, 2013) - The Board of Directors of Western Forest Products Inc. (TSX:WEF) today appointed Don Demens as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, effective immediately. Dominic Gammiero will continue his role as Chairman of the Board.

Mr. Demens has clearly demonstrated the leadership qualities required to take on the additional role of Chief Executive Officer. As a leader of the organization, his hands-on approach to developing a safety culture and margin focus has delivered positive results throughout the Company.

Mr. Demens was appointed President in July 2012 and has held numerous strategic roles at Western including, Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President, Sales and Manufacturing. He has over 25 years of coastal forest industry experience.

"I am very pleased that Don has accepted these additional responsibilities," said Dominic Gammiero, Chairman of the Board of Directors. "He was instrumental in helping us turn around the business and his knowledge of our industry has been critical in defining our long-term strategy at Western. The Board is confident his 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 three 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.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains statements which constitute forward-looking statements and information within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including statements regarding a sale of timber tenures and our current intentions not to sell any other Crown timber tenure in the future. Readers are cautioned that it would be unreasonable to rely on any such forward-looking statements and information as creating legal rights, and that the statements and information provided are not guarantees either that the announced transaction will be completed, or that the Company will not in the future sell any additional tenures if circumstances or management's intentions in that regard should change.