Draft Agenda
Additional speakers and sessions to be added
Monday, September 8
5 - 8 pm Opening Reception at WFC Discovery Museum
Tuesday, September 9
8 am - 5 pm Conference Sessions
5 - 7 pm Reception
Wednesday, September 10
8 am - 5 pm Conference Sessions
Session I: Taking Stock - Strategic Perspectives on Forest Ownership
After 10 years of shifting patterns of forestland ownership, we assess how this shift has affected forestry and the forest products industry, the investment community, and other stakeholders. What have been the biggest changes, and why? Who has benefited, and who has not, and in what ways? What challenges loom and how will the timberland investment arena evolve in the next few years? Can timberland returns be sustained - is there a market bubble and will investors continue to flock to this asset class?
- Dennis Neilson, DANA
- Gary Myers, TimberLink
- Jim Rinehart, R & A Investment Forestry
- Vic Musselman, Musselman and Associates
- Mike Clutter, University of Georgia
Session II: Financial and Regulatory Developments
What future regulatory changes might impact the sector? What are the new investment vehicles that could develop? What changes have emerged for the foreign investor? What role can certified forests play in timberland investments?
- Kathy Abusow, Sustainable Forestry Initiative
- Bill Bradley, Sutherland
Session III: Timber Risks and Returns - How Well Have Investors Fared?
Timberland is viewed as offering a competitive return relative to risk, but exactly how well has this asset class performed? What are the risks associated with investing in timberland, and how has the current equity volatility, and tightened lending, affected the asset class?
- Jack Lutz, Forest Research Group
- Steve Chercover, DA Davidson & Co
- Chris Chun, Deutche Bank Alex Brown
Session IV: Emerging Markets In Search of Higher Returns (and Higher Risk)
Panel 1: Exploring Overseas Investments
This panel will discuss investment opportunities and challenges in particular regions and globally. What are the reasons for and against investing in a particular region of the world and how are investments structured? What specific challenges does overseas investing present, where are the markets for wood, what have the returns been, and what is the future outlook?
- Clark Binkley, International Forestry Investment Advisors
- Vince Erasmus, International Tree Cropping
- Craig Taylor, The Fifth Estate
- Claudio Ortolan, Klabin
- Robert H. Donnelly, RH Donnelly and Associates
- Jim Stevens, International Woodland Company
Panel 2: Investing for Climate Change and Ecosystems
How does climate change impact forest investments, both in terms of the challenges it presents to investors, as well as potential opportunities? Can carbon finance and ecosystem investments be profitable? How do these systems work? What are institutional investors saying on this issue? How will eco-investing evolve in the near future?
- Mark Fulton, Deutche Bank
- Marisa Meizlish, New Forests
- Rick Smith, Forest Systems
Session V: Investor Roundtable
What is the rationale for being invested in timberland, what role does it plays in a portfolio, which regions of the world are interesting, and what aspects of timberland offer opportunities vs. specific challenges or constraints? Are there predictable markets beyond timber production--such as carbon or biomass-- that add value? What are investors demanding in terms of socially responsible investing?
- Reid Carter, Brookfield Asset Management
- Susan Ryan Goodman, ABP Investments US
- Liane Luke, Four Winds Capital Management
Session VI: Perspectives on Conservation: Private Capital for Public Goods
How has the forestland shift impacted the conservation community? How are land deals best structured to benefit both investors and conservationists? Have conservation values been achieved?
- Evan Smith, The Conservation Fund
- Peter Stein, Lyme Timber Co.