Nov 13, 2009. /Lesprom Network/. Higher sales volumes and increased prices helped Sino-Forest Corp. grow its 3Q profit by 40.5% from a year ago, as The Canadian Press reported. The forest plantation operator, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, reported net income of $105.6 million or 47 cents per share for the quarter ended September 30. That was up from a year-ago profit of $75.2 million or 40 cents per share. The company's quarterly revenues totalled $367 million, up from $293.7 million last year. The 25% rise in revenue was attributed to higher revenue from sales of plantation fibre and imported logs. Sino-Forest said its plantation fibre revenue grew 21% to $295.8 million during the quarter due to an increased volume of fibre sold. Revenue from sales of imported wood products jumped 85% to $31.9 million due to a higher volume of Russian logs sold. "We are very pleased to report another strong quarter despite weak prices in most commodities, including logs, during the global economic downturn," said Allen Chan, Sino Forest's President and CEO. Chan added that the company's earnings had been boosted by the positive effects of China's economic growth and Sino-Forest's flexible business model which sold wood fibre as standing timber or harvested logs. The company also saw a steady recovery of log prices during the quarter which standing timber prices remained stagnant. Sino-Forest also said it will continue to ramp up its replanting program and focus on improving plantation yields over the coming quarters. Sino-Forest Corporation is a leading commercial forest plantation operator in China. Its principal businesses include the ownership and management of forest plantation trees and sales of standing timber, wood logs, and complementary manufacturing of downstream engineered-wood products.