Ahlstrom - Company Announcement

Ahlstrom to acquire a specialty paper company in the USA

Ahlstrom Corporation STOCK EXCHANGE RELEASE 01.02.2008

Ahlstrom, a global leader in high performance fiber-based materials,
announced today that it has signed an agreement to acquire Friend
Group Inc., which consists of West Carrollton Parchment Company and
West Carrollton Converting Company. The Group is a producer of
vegetable parchment and has parchmentizing and converting operations
located in West Carrollton, Ohio, the USA. The transaction is
expected to be closed during the first quarter of 2008.

The parties have agreed not to disclose the acquisition price. Friend
Group employs 162 people and has two sites in West Carrollton serving
mainly the food packaging market in the USA. Net sales of the
acquired entity in 2007 were USD 47 million.

The new entity will be integrated into Ahlstrom's vegetable parchment
product line, which is part of the Technical Papers business area
currently operating two sites manufacturing vegetable parchment in
France and serving customers globally.

This acquisition enables Ahlstrom to build a global platform for its
vegetable parchment business, develop new applications for the
product as well as improve its customer service worldwide.

Ahlstrom's CEO Jukka Moisio comments on the deal:"With the acquisition Ahlstrom becomes the leading global supplier of
vegetable parchment and the acquisition strengthens our North America
position by combining Ahlstrom's technical know-how with West
Carrollton's strong customer relations and excellent converting
capabilities."

Vegetable parchment is a specialty paper made from cellulose fibers
and it has numerous applications in packaging, food, textile,
furniture, graphic and other industries. Vegetable parchment has
unique properties such as excellent greaseproof and strength
characteristics and high water and heat resistance. The global market
demand for vegetable parchment is growing in various new
applications.

For further information, please contact:

Jukka Moisio, President & CEO, Ahlstrom Corporation, tel. +358 (0)10
888 4700
Patrick Jeambar, Senior Vice President, Technical Papers, tel. + 33 4
7645 3507

Distribution:
OMX Nordic Exchange Helsinki
Main media
www.ahlstrom.com

Ahlstrom in brief

Ahlstrom is a global leader in the development, manufacture and
marketing of high performance fiber-based materials. Nonwovens and
specialty papers, made by Ahlstrom, are used in a large variety of
everyday products, such as filters, wipes, flooring, labels, and
tapes. Based upon its unique fiber expertise and innovative approach,
the company has a strong market position in several business areas in
which it operates. Ahlstrom's 6,500 employees serve customers via
sales offices and production facilities in more than 20 countries on
six continents. In 2007, Ahlstrom's net sales amounted to EUR 1.8
billion. Ahlstrom's share is listed on the OMX Nordic Exchange
Helsinki. The company website is www.ahlstrom.com.