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Weyerhaeuser

Today, I’m joined by Ara Erickson, Vice President of Corporate Sustainability at Weyerhaeuser. In this conversation, Ara explains how one of the world’s largest private forest landowners approaches sustainability across more than 20 million acres of managed forests in the US and Canada. We discuss the evolution of sustainable forestry over the past century, the realities of managing forests for multiple values, and why healthy, actively managed forests are critical for climate resilience and wildfire mitigation. Ara shares insights into timber REIT structures, forest certification, carbon markets, renewable energy opportunities, and the growing role of forests in delivering climate and nature solutions. We also explore the future of wood as a sustainable building material and the increasing importance of integrating environmental, social, and financial outcomes in forest investment strategy.

00:00 – Introduction & Meet Ara Erickson

01:58 – Weyerhaeuser's History & Legacy

06:23 – Weyerhaeuser's Forest Holdings

10:54 – Beyond Timber: Additional Revenue Streams

12:18 – Understanding the Timber REIT Model

18:33 – Sustainability in a Public Company

27:24 – The Evolution of Sustainable Forestry

33:16 – Wildfire, Forest Health & Forest Management

41:03 – Weyerhaeuser's Sustainability Initiatives

46:02 – The Future of Forestry & Sustainability

50:43 – Advice for New Forest Investors

52:11 – Final Thoughts & Resources

Founding Director and Host: Shauna Matkovich - The ForestLink

Producer and Editor: Magdalena Laas - Unscripted Creatives

Nature by MaxKoMusic/Soundcloud

Sopwell Woodlands and Scohaboy Bog SAC, Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary, IRELAND by wild_rumpus/Soundcloud

Ambient Documentary by Sound Guru (Pixabay)

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From the Vault - Jasper Renk

MEAG

MEAG on LinkedIn

Jasper Renk on LinkedIn

Favourite trees: Spruce

In this rerun, I’m joined by Jasper Renk, Senior Investment Manager for Illiquid Assets in Natural Capital at MEAG. In this advice-packed episode, Jasper shares MEAG’s 15-year experience in investing in Timberland. He explains the most critical determining factors in deciding MEAG’s forest investment jurisdictions and describes how the organisation is well equipped to address climate risks, sitting on 140 years of climate data. Jasper shares his thoughts on how to house your forest investment and sheds light on why forest investment isn’t the most suitable for debt instruments. We talk about sustainability and how it is a core tenant of how they invest, emphasising that prioritising sustainability reduces risk and secures return expectations.

Host: Shauna Matkovich - The ForestLink

Producer and editor: Magdalena Laas - Unscripted Creatives

01:02

Background to MEAG & Jasper

04:06

Decision to move into timberland investments

05:11

MEAG's perception of timberland allocation performance

07:58

Shift in how assets are housed in portfolio

10:51

Learning curve for institutional investor

12:52

Risk-reduced way to gain exposure

13:44

Best instrument to get started (and trajectory)

16:33

Risk return profile of MEAG

19:22

Operational side of owned forest assets

22:57

Functioning transactional market

24:38

Investment vehicles, e,g. debt instruments

27:45

Sustainability

32:00

Sustainability objectives

34:28

Beneficiaries stand on sustainability

39:08

Actionable advice

39:50

Contact details

Nature by MaxKoMusic/Soundcloud

Sopwell Woodlands and Scohaboy Bog SAC, Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary, IRELAND by wild_rumpus/Soundcloud

Sign up now for the ForestLink’s newsletter, where you’ll receive technical advice, reflections, and best-practice guidance to support you with your forest-linked investment strategy or business straight to your inbox.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is not an endorsement for this opportunity, nor is it an investment recommendation or investment advice.

Send an email to sdm@theforestlink.com to learn how to apply

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Generation Forest

Generation Forest on LinkedIn

The Ask: $25M USD to acquire land in Panama and establish more permanent, productive biodiverse forests in Panama

Today on Pitch Pod, I’m joined by Andreas Eke, CEO of Generation Forest Invest. In this conversation, Andreas presents Generation Forest’s approach to building permanent, productive, biodiverse forests in Panama through a combination of land acquisition, native species reforestation, carbon finance, and long-term timber management. We discuss how the model is designed to generate returns from both timber and premium-priced carbon credits, while restoring degraded cattle land into permanent forest assets. Andreas explains the organization’s cooperative and institutional investment structures, the role of carbon pre-sales in financing expansion, and the strategy behind building a 50,000-hectare forest corridor supporting biodiversity, watershed protection, and rural livelihoods. We also explore the operational realities of managing mixed-species forestry, land acquisition due diligence, and why biodiversity and permanence may become increasingly important drivers of long-term forest value.

Founding Director and Host: Shauna Matkovich - The ForestLink

Producer and Editor: Magdalena Laas - Unscripted Creatives

Sound Library

Ecology-Agriculture-Environment via Pixabay

Sign up now for the ForestLink’s newsletter, where you’ll receive technical advice, reflections, and best-practice guidance to support you with your forest-linked investment strategy or business straight to your inbox.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.