[don sigl]

A couple of points-
I started my own darkroom in 2002 when I recieved some nearly free equipment. I just read the instructions and went to town. Only later did I take classes and still did not use a community darkroom except when forced to for the class.
During that experience, I formed a personal view as to my paper selection after seeing and using numerous brands and types. I chose Forte's semi- matt, neutral tone fiber material as my standard and have used it since. I chose that particular paper for its true black and white tone (I use Dektol and KRST to get it) and am not looking forward to finding an alternate that suits my vision or having to sort through hours of trial and error to "learn" to use it effectively.
Since this material will probably be unavailable soon, does anyone have suggestions for a similar paper I might try? The only paper on the market that sounds close is Kentmere's neutral semi matte. I have not seen this material in person yet, let alone used it to make images.
Am I simply out of luck? Are there other papers I might consider?

Kentmere will not tone anything like Forte. I hear a lot of talk about this paper and that paper.... but you aren't going to find an exact match.... The toning qualities of the Forte papers were one of their strongest assets. In particular their color and depth when matched with Nelsons gold toner. The kentmere papers I've tried are probably the least receptive to Nelsons.
Another strength was their price. Many people are suggesting Bergger papers. Bergger makes a fine product... so does Ilford for that matter. But neither look like Forte, and both are considerably pricier. (Warm tone fiber papers)
I'm hoping Photo Engineer will come up with a Forte-like formula one of these days.