20th February 2014
Forestry Investment Attracts Top People
FIEA’s upcoming conference on forest investment is drawing delegates from top management positions in both New Zealand
and Australia as the opportunity for early-bird registration offers closes at the end of this week.
One of the reasons for the popularity of the Forest Investment and Market Outlook conference running in April in
Melbourne and Auckland is the international keynote speakers. One of the keynote speakers at FIMO 2014 Gary Myers,
managing partner at TimberLink LLC from Georgia, USA. With a good international speaker line-up in place, many TIMOs are
registering delegates to attend the April conference – the third in this biennial series.
Myers says, “Institutional investors with longer investment horizons and more efficient capital have successfully
migrated into this asset class for diverse reasons.” His company monitors TIMO performance and track their investment
strategies on behalf of current and prospective clients.
One mechanism for helping investors accomplish this migration is the timberland investment management organisation,
commonly called “TIMO.” These entities act as a fiduciary for institutional investors. The TIMO deploys the capital of
others into timber acquisitions, either through funds or separate accounts, and manages the acquired estate throughout
the investment horizon.
Assisting many investors in developing investment strategies, selecting a suitable TIMO and making investment decisions
is TimberLink LLC of Atlanta, Georgia. TimberLink has advised clients from nine different countries with investments
totaling over $10 billion in commercial forestland around the word. TimberLink is not a TIMO and does not raise capital
or manage property. But TimberLink does monitor TIMO performance and track their investment strategies on behalf of
current and prospective clients.
According Myers, “Our recent survey of TIMOs indicates that private investments in timberland approach US$50 billion on
a global basis.”
But according to Myers investors are not entirely satisfied with the present TIMO model. “Certain new pressure points
are emerging that challenge the traditional TIMO approach to investing,” says Myers, “Recent trends where TIMOs offer
funds only may be in contrast with some larger investors who want more control over investment decisions and influence
on management through separate accounts.”
Institutional investors are more informed and educated today that they were several decades ago. Numerous conferences
such as the FIEA conference help investors become more knowledgeable about this specialised asset class.
Visit www.fimo2014.com to register or see programme details.
The Forest Industry Engineering Association (FIEA) is running the 3rd biennial forest industry investment conference –
FOREST INVESTMENT AND MARKET OUTLOOK – in Auckland on 9–10th April 2014 and Melbourne on 14–15th April 2014. This latest
conference will focus on strengthening ties between the equity investment, finance and forest products industries in
Australasia and now globally. New Forests are confirmed at the Principal Conference Sponsor. Australasia’s key industry
associations have also indicated their support for this pan-industry meeting.
ENDS