World Forestry Center’s Signature Timberland Investing Conference
October 6, 13, 20, & 27, 2021
Who Will Own the Forest?
Who Will Own the Forest? returns in 2021, showcasing 32 speakers across 4 weeks in October, covering 24 topics on a wide range of timber, forestry, and climate change issues.
Presentations will consist of four 2-hour episodes, including speaker panels, live Q&A, and multiple breakout sessions, and will livestream weekly from October 6 to 27. Don’t miss this informative series, get registered today!
Update: Due to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, we made the difficult choice to cancel the September 28 in-person social in Portland. We hope to reinstate in-person events at Who Will Own the Forest 2022.
Become a Sponsor
Who Will Own the Forest? offers multiple promotional opportunities and benefits for Sponsors, including complimentary registration passes, recognition in promotional emails, acknowledgements on the conference website and banners, and advertising in conference proceedings.
2021 Agenda
Episode 1: Investing Big in Carbon: Can Forests Compete?
October 6, 2021, 10-11:15am PDT
Global capital sources are mobilizing to address climate change at a scale not seen before. With forests representing nearly 75% of the total global natural climate solutions opportunity set, what do these new capital inflows mean for the forest sector and its ability to deliver climate benefits alongside returns and traditional forest products? What attributes are these new timberland investors and forest carbon buyers seeking? How will these new entrants drive and shape forestry and forest carbon offset markets? And what does the forest industry need to do to respond and adapt?
- Moderator: Mark Wishnie, BTG Pactual Timberland Investment Group
- Peter Kelly, Goldman Sachs Asset Management
- Matthew Potts, University of California, Berkeley
- Ryan Ramsey, StepStone Group
- Tracy Buran Evens, TimberLink
Episode 2: Developing Paths to Equity
October 13, 2021, 10-11:15am PDT
African-American land ownership peaked in 1910 at 15 million acres and then fell dramatically from that point, with land loss often due to heirs’ property complications. It is estimated that today there are some 3.5 million acres of heirs’ property in the US South, with an assessed value of $28 billion. A number of organizations are coming together to push for legislative policies, legal reforms and programs that will help heirs’ property owners to secure and retain their land rights, improve forest management, increase income, and keep forests as forests.
- Moderator: Mavis Gragg, American Forest Foundation
- Dãnia C. Davy, Esq., Federation of Southern Cooperatives
- Tharlyn Fox, Deere & Company
- Tom Martin, American Forest Foundation
Episode 3: Implementing ESG Strategies: How Two Leading TIMOs are Responding to the Challenge
October 20, 2021, 10-11:15am PDT
Interest in environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) investing has grown, but investors and managers continue to struggle to define it. What does ESG investing mean? What are the organizational and operational priorities that must be implemented to achieve ESG goals?
- Moderator: Chris Larson, (formerly) New Island Capital
- Jim Hourdequin, The Lyme Timber Company
- Radha Kuppalli, New Forests
Episode 4: Innovation and Disruption: An Update on the Dynamic Mass Timber Sector
October 27, 2021, 10-11:15am PDT
The mass timber industry, much like the rest of the construction and wood products sectors, has had a dynamic year – from the fall of early innovative firms to the rise of new firms, from skyrocketing supply costs to manufacturing cost savings. But with more, bigger mass timber buildings going up from Arkansas to Oregon, what’s clear is that mass timber is here to stay. Learn about the latest developments, projects, growing pains and exciting innovations in this sector, and what it could mean for the timber industry.
- Karim Khalifa, Sidewalk Labs
Meet the Speakers
Our 2021 Who Will Own the Forest event features leading voices in timberland investing.
Breakout Sessions
After watching the pre-recorded episodes and participating in the live Q&A, participants can join any of these smaller, interactive Breakout Sessions to network and discuss a wide range of topics.
October 6, 2021, 11:15-11:45 am PDT
30 x 30 Implications for Private Forest Owners: Opportunity or Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing?
Jimmy Bullock and Victoria Lockhart, Resource Management Service
Forestry Opportunities for Climate Impact
Eric Cooperstrom, Hancock Natural Resource Group
How Much Exposure Do Your Timberland Investments Have to China?
Chung-Hong Fu, Timberland Investment Resources
Impacts of 2020 Oregon Wildfires on Future Timber Supply
Roger Lord, Mason, Bruce & Girard; and Rocky Goodnow, Forest Economic Advisors
Forest AI – Promises, Possibilities and Problems
Albrecht von Ruffer and Rebecca Cardani-Strange, SKYLAB
October 13, 2021, 11:15-11:45 am PDT
Forest Management Practices and Costs of Private Timberland Owners
Shawn Baker, Forisk Consulting
The Carbon Effect: Property Valuations Across Regions and Acres
Zack Parisa, NCX; and Brooks Mendell, Forisk Consulting
Agroforestry and Carbon Markets
John Pierce, Perkins Coie
Riding the Value Wave: Impacts on Value from Changing Investment Horizons
Chris Singleton, American Forest Management
From Backwoods to Boardrooms: The Rise of Institutional Investment in Timberland
Daowei Zhang, Auburn University; Clark Binkley, International Forestry Investment Advisors; Peter Mertz, Global Forest Partners; Mark Wilde, Bank of Montreal; and Tracy Evens, Timberlink
October 20, 2021, 11:15-11:45 am PDT
The Performance of Private Equity Timberland Funds in the United States Over the Last Three Decades
Rafal Chudy, FOROS/Forest Business Analytics
Shifting Softwood Log and Lumber Trade Flows and Impacts on Timber Markets
Rocky Goodnow, Forest Economic Advisors
You Get What You Pay For: A TIMO Perspective on Carbon Markets, Evolving Buyer & Stakeholder Expectations, and the Cost of Implementing Forest Management Strategies That Capture Additional Carbon
Jim Hourdequin, The Lyme Timber Company
Analyzing Carbon Opportunities: A Financial Comparison of Traditional Timber Management Vs. Management for Carbon Sequestration Credits
Scott Howell, F&W Forestry Services
The Power of Integrated Information In Managing Forest Investments
Antonio Tatagiba, INFLOR
October 27, 2021, 11:15-11:45 am PDT
State of the Industry – Global Trends Driving the Forest Products Industry
Joe Clark, Forest2Market
How the Biden Administration’s Proposed Tax Increases Will Affect Timber Owners and Investors
Korey Collins and Clay Stoker, RSM
Understanding the Value of Carbon as a Landowner
Tom Fox, Rayonier
Achieving Growth and Diversification in Competitive Timberland Markets for Family-Owned Businesses
Scott Griffin, Superior Pine Products Company
Projected Inflation and Interest Rates and How These and Other Key Economic Factors May Influence Future Timberland Asset Pricing in the United States
Richard Hall, Buckhead Resources
Meet the Breakout Hosts
Our 2021 Who Will Own the Forest event features leading voices in timberland investing.
Continuing Education
- Society of American Foresters: 5.0 Category 1 CFE credits
- Oregon Certified Public Accountants: 6.0 CPE general review credits
- Oregon State Bar: 5.0 MCLE general credits (pending)
- Oregon Appraiser Certification and Licensure Board: 3.0 general credits
Continuing Education Credits Instructions
World Forestry Center’s Who Will Own the Forest? 2021 offers a variety of professional continuing education credits for successfully completing this 4-week series.
At the conclusion of each live Q&A following each Wednesday’s keynote presentation, World Forestry Center will provide a KEYWORD on the screen. Please take note of this keyword each week, as you will need to submit the keywords to verify that you attended the series.
At the conclusion of the series, we will send all registrants a link to download the relevant Attendance Records Forms, on which you will submit your name and the keywords, and return them to World Forestry Center for verification. You must correctly identify at least 3 of the 4 keywords in order to obtain continuing education credits. Partial credits will not be awarded.
For more details on WWOTF continuing education, go here.
For further questions, please contact Vivian at vbui@worldforestry.org.
Thank you to our Organizing Committee:
- Joe Taggart, LandVest
- Carter Coe, Chinook Forest Partners
- Marshall Thomas, F&W Forestry
- Bob Saul, Fiera Comox
- Karim Khalifa, Sidewalk Labs
- Sam Cook, North Carolina State University
Questions? Email World Forestry Director of Professional Programs, Sara Wu at swu@worldforestry.org.
Missed the 2020 Event?
No problem! You can pay for access to episode recordings, event proceedings and attendee list, select breakout presentations, and more. To see the 2020 program, click here. For questions about what is available for purchase, contact Vivian Bui at vbui@worldforestry.org.