NEWS
For Immediate Release
February 21, 2006

Contact: Jim Riley
(208) 667-4641

Intermountain Forest Association announces new Communications Program Manager

Coeur d'Alene---Intermountain Forest Association President Jim Riley announced today that Serena Howarth has been hired as the Association's Communications Program Manager.

"Serena brings a strong background in public and government affairs work to IFA. She will be a great asset in our efforts to educate and inform key stakeholders about Idaho's forests and forest products business sector," Riley said.

"This is a terrific opportunity," said Howarth. "The Intermountain Forest Association strives to achieve a balance in sustainable timber management at a time when negative, and often mistaken, public perceptions threaten the very future of the industry. I am excited to participate in correcting those perceptions."

Headquartered in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, the Intermountain Forest Association is an organization of wood product manufacturers, timberland owners and related businesses in the northern Rockies. The Association develops and implements solution-oriented policies aimed at securing a stable and sustainable supply of timber on public and private lands.

Howarth, a graduate of Gonzaga University with a degree in Journalism, has worked for The Gallatin Group, the Salt Lake Tribune and the Washington State Employment Security Department. Born in Takoma Park, Maryland, she grew up in Spokane. She and her husband Matt will reside in Coeur d'Alene.