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New Forests buys 108,000-acre forest in California

New Forests, a global investment manager of nature-based real assets and natural capital strategies, has announced the purchase on behalf of institutional investors of an approximately 108,000-acre forestry estate in Northern California from The Michigan-California Timber Company (MCTC). Source: Timberbiz

The estate consists of productive mixed conifers, including fir and pine, in the Mount Shasta region, and presents significant opportunities for Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified timber production, management for carbon stock protection and atmospheric carbon removal, along with continued wildlife habitat protection.

This estate is proximate to over 315,000 acres of existing forestry assets managed by New Forests in Northern California. New Forests has deployed around US$500 million to date on behalf of its clients in US sustainable forestry assets and is now the second largest land manager in California.

“We are delighted to be investing in the future of California forestry where a focus on natural climate solutions can help drive positive economic, environmental and community outcomes,” said Brian Shillinglaw, Managing Director, United States for New Forests.

“We’re proud of the scale our US business has achieved in managing California and Oregon forests for sustainable FSC timber production and climate impact.

“Our institutional clients see the value managing forests for financial returns from both sustainable timber and carbon pricing, while positively contributing to climate change mitigation, biodiversity, and local communities. New Forests plans to manage these forests for long-term carbon stock protection and significant atmospheric carbon removal over the coming decades.”

In 2014, New Forests was the first company to register an offset project developed under the California Compliance Offset Protocol for the Yurok Tribe.

“MCTC has sustainably managed these timberlands since 1994 and we are proud of our stewardship,” said Chris Chase, General Manager for MCTC. “Our manufacturing affiliate, Timber Products Company, looks forward to working with New Forests as a key supplier of logs through a long-term timber supply agreement.”