US Treasuries, Private Timberlands and Timber REIT Investment Returns

| no comments in Forest Finance & Economics, Timber REITs, Timberlands

Executive Summary:  all timberland investment vehicles exceed US Treasury benchmarks over long time frames; timber REIT dividend distributions enhance yields to help offset short term share price volatility. U.S. Treasuries remain a common benchmark for private timberland investments.  Why?  Relative more…

What Can Marching Bands Teach Us About Tracking Wood Demand and Timber Markets?

| no comments in Forest Finance & Economics, Forisk, Timber REITs, Wood Bioenergy, Wood Demand & Procurement

When tracking wood demand and timber markets, we look not only to the past and to the future for guidance, but also to the side – peripherally – to gauge performance across markets and sectors.  Heather Clark, our Customer Relations more…

How Do Exchange Rates Affect US Forest Products and Timberland Investments?

| no comments in Forest Finance & Economics, Timber Market Analysis, Timberlands

When studying exchange rates and currency markets, I sometimes think of the old joke “the quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and stick it back in your pocket.”   Currency markets shake more than more…

Forecasting Stumpage Prices and Timberland Investment Performance Requires Local Knowledge of Wood Demand

| no comments in Forest Finance & Economics, Forisk, Stumpage Forecasting, Timber Market Analysis, Wood Demand & Procurement

Last week, I met with the CEO of one of world’s largest forest management and consulting firms.  We ended up discussing a mutually perplexing question, “why do some timberland investors prioritize macro issues like housing at the expense of understanding more…

Tax Treatment of Timber REIT Dividends (in under 150 words)

| no comments in Forest Finance & Economics, Timber REITs

A duck walked into the doctor’s office and asked, “Doc, how do you treat timber REIT dividends?”…. Distributions from real estate investment trusts (REITs) have three elements: Distributions representing firm Operating Income are taxed at investors’ ordinary (marginal) tax rates. more…