This post includes data from the Q2 2019 Forisk Research Quarterly and the 2019 North American Timberland Owner & Manager List.

Forisk has tracked and aggregated timberland transaction and ownership data for the past fourteen years.  The ownership data goes back 50 years and the transaction data goes back over 20 years to 1996. This research currently includes 336 private organizations in the United States and Canada that each own or manage 10,000 timberland acres or more. Over the past twelve months, this list has “churned” about 6%, reflecting the addition or removal of 1 in 17 organizations since last year due to their divestiture or acquisition of significant timberland holdings, reaffirming the fact that timberland owners continue to review and modify their businesses and total portfolios.

The table below lists the 2019 top 10 timberland owners in North America. Each owns at least 900,000 acres. Weyerhaeuser continues to lead with 12.3 million acres, about the same as the next six firms combined. J.D. Irving’s 1.2 million acres in Maine secure its place as the 7th-largest timberland owner in the U.S., and its 1.9 million acres in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia make it the second-largest owner on the continent. Rayonier, Sierra Pacific, PotlatchDeltic, and Green Diamond also remain in the same slots as last year. In addition, CatchMark Timber Trust leaps into the top 10 for the first time.

Top 10 Timberland Owners in the U.S. and Canada

Source: Forisk 2019 North American Timberland Owner & Manager List

When looking separately at the top 10 timberland managers in North America, TIMOs, who manage timber assets on behalf of institutional investors and large private investors, hold six slots; these six TIMOs manage 15.5 million acres, or 58% of the 26.8 million acres managed by the top 10 firms. Four forestry consulting and management firms, including the largest organization on this list (American Forest Management), account for the balance.

Top 10 Timberland Managers in the U.S. and Canada

Source: Forisk 2019 North American Timberland Owner & Manager List