Sino-Forest Announces Resignation of Auditor

TORONTO, April 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ - Sino-Forest Corporation ("Sino-Forest" or the "Company") (TSX: TRE) announced today that Ernst & Young LLP ("E&Y") has notified the Company that it has resigned as the Company's auditor effective April 4, 2012.  In its resignation letter to the Company, E&Y noted that the Company had not prepared December 31, 2011 consolidated financial statements for audit and that, in the Company's March 30, 2012 filing under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act, Sino-Forest said that it remained unable to satisfactorily address outstanding issues in relation to its 2011 annual financial statements.

Sino-Forest intends to issue a press release containing the information required by National Instrument 51-102 ("NI-51-102") with respect to E&Y's resignation.  Such press release will be issued within the time period prescribed by NI-51-102. Additional information with respect to the resignation of E&Y also will be available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com in the form of reporting package required to be filed by the Company pursuant to NI -51-102.

About Sino-Forest Corporation

Sino-Forest Corporation is a leading commercial forest plantation operator in China. Its principal businesses include the ownership and management of tree plantations, the sale of standing timber and wood logs, and the complementary manufacturing of downstream engineered-wood products.  Sino-Forest also holds a majority interest in Greenheart Group Limited (HKSE:00094), a Hong-Kong listed investment holding company with assets in Suriname (South America) and New Zealand and involved in sustainable harvesting, processing and sales of its logs and lumber to China and other markets around the world.  Sino-Forest's common shares have been listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol TRE since 1995.  Learn more at www.sinoforest.com.

No stock exchange or regulatory authority has approved or disapproved of information contained herein. This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws.  The forward looking statements expressed or implied by this news release are subject to important risks and uncertainties. When used in this news release, the words "intends", "expects", and "will" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such words. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by the Company in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors that the Company believes are appropriate in the circumstances. The results or events predicted in these statements may differ materially from actual results or events and are not guarantees of future performance of Sino-Forest. Factors which could cause results or events to differ from current expectations include, among other things: actions taken by noteholders, other lenders, other creditors, shareholders, regulators, governmental agencies and other stakeholders to enforce their rights; the outcome of examinations currently underway by law enforcement and securities regulatory authorities; the outcome of class action or other proceedings which have been or may in future be initiated against the Company; the accuracy and outcome of the results of tree asset testing undertaken by the Company; our reliance on key employees; our ability to acquire rights to additional standing timber; our ability to meet our expected plantation yields; the cyclical nature of the forest products industry and price fluctuation in and the demand and supply of logs; our reliance on the relationship with local plantation land owners and/or plantation land use rights holders, authorized intermediaries, key customers, suppliers and third party service providers; our ability to operate our production facilities on a profitable basis; changes in currency exchange rates and interest rates; the evaluation of our provision for income and related taxes; economic, political and social conditions and government policy in China, the Republic  of Suriname and New Zealand, and stock market volatility; and other factors not currently viewed as material that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forwarding-looking statements. For additional information with respect to certain of these and other factors, see the reports filed by Sino-Forest Corporation with applicable Canadian securities administrators. Sino-Forest Corporation disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

SOURCE Sino-Forest Corporation