Chung-Hong Fu: Managing Director Economic Research and Analysis DOWNLOAD (2Mb PDF) Since its emergence as an asset class in the early 1980s, timberland has undergone evolution and transformation – with a number of key events and market forces shaping its history and growth. A watershed event for the timberland asset class came with the large-scale divestiture [...]

Chung-Hong Fu: Managing Director Economic Research and Analysis DOWNLOAD (2Mb PDF) In mid-2022, monetary and market signals show increasing headwinds facing the United States economy and inflation has now reached a 40-year high.  In response, the U.S. Federal Reserve is aggressively raising interest rates and is reversing the easy monetary policy that has been in place [...]

Chung-Hong Fu: Managing Director Economic Research and Analysis DOWNLOAD (2Mb PDF) Over the course of 2021, the investment community saw one major announcement after another of institutional investment funds or organizations committing funds to the natural capital features of timberland assets.  In many cases, these investments were made in the carbon sequestration potential of forests and their capacity [...]

Chung-Hong Fu: Managing Director Economic Research and Analysis DOWNLOAD (2Mb PDF) Global climate change has reached the forefront of the public’s consciousness in recent years and investors that hold natural assets, like timberland, in their portfolios are particularly interested in understanding the challenges and opportunities it may pose for them in an investment context. Forests, like [...]

Chung-Hong Fu: Managing Director Economic Research and Analysis DOWNLOAD (2Mb PDF) In September of 2020, TIR announced the creation of Mission Forest Products and its new “greenfield” sawmill project at Corinth, Mississippi. Prior to the pandemic, lumber prices stood at around $ 400/mbf.  Since that announcement was made, lumber prices skyrocketed to more than $1,500/mbf.  We [...]