<B>Potlatch Announcing More Mill Downtime</B>

Potlatch Corp. plans additional Christmas holiday production curtailments at its Minnesota coated printing paper mills in Cloquet and Brainerd. The company's pulp mill at Cloquet will continue to operate during the period.

The Cloquet paper mill will begin its shutdown on Dec. 22 and return to full operation on Dec. 28. The Brainerd operation, which had been scheduled for shutdown during the week of Dec. 18, instead began its shutdown on Dec. 16 and will restart on Jan. 2.

The company cited high inventory levels and seasonally weak markets for its coated papers as well as increased import pressures as the primary reasons for the shutdown at Cloquet and the extended shutdown at Brainerd. Potlatch customers will not be affected by the curtailments, the company said.