February 26, 2024
(press release)
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Everwood, a French player in sustainable forest management and a member of the Transition Evergreen fund, announces that it has acquired a stake in US forestry asset management specialist F&W Forestry Services, Inc., becoming its 1st shareholder. Everwood’s investment is aimed at achieving the shared growth ambition of both companies, namely to become one of the world’s largest forest managers and consultants, with sales reaching $100 million within 5 years. A new Franco-American page is being written for Everwood and F&W Forestry Services, which specializes in sustainable forest management and the preservation of natural capital. As its CEO approaches retirement, the company, based in Albany, Georgia, welcomes French player Everwood to its capital. F&W has been headed by Marshall Thomas for 30 years, a charismatic and acknowledged leader in the US forestry industry, who will be involved in the company’s new wave of external growth for another 5 years. Everwood’s investment takes the form of an initial $5 million increase in F&W’s capital and the purchase of shares from three shareholders nearing retirement. At the same time, the five members of the management team are making a significant investment alongside Everwood. This partnership is accompanied by a first external growth operation with the purchase of Inland Forest Management (IFM). “We are proud to announce today this transformative transaction for Everwood. Faced with growing institutional investment in natural capital, and in response to their ambitious strategies, Everwood is taking another major step forward in its long-term commitment to sustainable forest management, in Europe and internationally. F&W is recognized as one of the best players in its sector, and our level of forestry expertise is the main reason for our association. Over the past two years, we have defined our common objectives with F&W management, including strategic priorities and shared values, such as innovation and a customer-oriented approach. By joining forces today, we have a unique opportunity to contribute to the upcoming development of natural capital“, says Charles Flipo, CEO of Everwood. “Everwood has proven to be the natural partner to seize and accelerate opportunities in this market context. The association with Everwood will stimulate innovation and enable F&W to be at the forefront of the changing needs of forest owners, and to develop new business lines. In particular, it will foster the development of our ERP FIS software, which offers a complete range of forestry and accounting solutions to landowners and institutional investors”, says Marshall Thomas, President of F&W. Ten years ago, F&W invested in Forestry France, no. 2 in forestry expertise and asset management in France, and was joined in 2021 by Everwood. Under the impulse of Sylvestre Coudert (President of , Forestry France), F&W and Everwood joined forces to create Forestry Europe in 2022, a company specializing in the expertise and management of forestry assets in Europe, in order to meet the needs of customers investing in other countries on the old continent. This long-term partnership has given rise to this operation, with a common goal: to expand internationally. Founded in 1962, F&W is the second-largest player in the United States in the field of consulting and management of forest resources (forest transactions, forest management, inventory and mapping, carbon valuation, preservation of natural capital, etc.). The company already manages 1 million hectares of assets for institutional and private owners, representing a value of around $5 billion, and employs 250 people in its 43 regional offices. F&W is present in several countries, including the UK, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and France. The operation will enable F&W to strengthen its presence in these existing markets and to expand into new countries where its customers are investing. It will also help consolidate its competitive edge by integrating new skills and reinforcing the use of technologies such as satellite, drone and lidar data analysis, as well as through the continuous improvement of its Forest Information System® ERP. This financial and accounting software, owned by the company and developed over the last two decades, remains at the heart of the strategy based on the efficient use of data. F&W plans to carry out several external growth operations in the coming years. The first of these is the acquisition of 100% of its competitor Inland Forest Management (IFM), based in Sandpoint, Idaho. This acquisition will enable F&W to extend its territorial coverage to the North-West of the United States, where IFM is present, and to strengthen its range of services for the prevention and control of forest fires, a major challenge for global warming and the preservation of the world’s carbon sinks.
FORESTRY FRANCE, EVERWOOD AND F&W: A LONG-TERM PARTNERSHIP
EXPANDING GEOGRAPHICAL COVERAGE AND STRENGTHENING SECTOR EXPERTISE
ACQUISITION OF IFM, FIRST BUYOUT IN A SERIES TO COME
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