Timberland investment experts from US, Canada, to focus on strengthening ties between equity investment, finance and forest products industries in Australasia at April 2014 Forest Industry Engineering Assn. conferences in Auckland and Melbourne

Wendy Lisney

DUNEDIN, New Zealand , January 24, 2014 (Friday Offcuts) – The Forest Industry Engineering Association (FIEA) is running the 3rd biennial forest industry investment conference – FOREST INVESTMENT AND MARKET OUTLOOK – in Auckland on 9–10th April and again in Melbourne on 14-15th April 2014. This latest conference will focus on strengthening ties between the equity investment, finance and forest products industries in Australasia and globally. New Forests are confirmed as the Principal Conference Sponsor along with BNZ, NZ Agrifax and Poyry.

“With many timberland investments around the globe performing well during the global financial crisis, equity investors are now very focused on this investment class. FIEA is bringing some the key timber investment advisors to Australasia to inform industry leaders of where they need to be positioned to make the most of current changes for their businesses,” says John Stulen, event director for FIEA. “Forestry is also poised to pick up a greater share of the equity investment resources that could make for huge change and growth in this industry”.

The list of keynote speakers includes:

- Kevin Mason, Managing Director, Equity Research Associates, BC, Canada. Kevin Mason joined ERA Forest Products Research in 1997 after starting his financial career in banking, and then co-founding a consulting practice that included corporate advisory and valuation services to diverse industries from biotech to retail. Since joining ERA, Kevin’s focus has been exclusively forest products, covering the sector’s major North American companies and providing detailed analysis of the global forest products industry to clients worldwide, including institutional investors managing over $5 trillion in assets.

- Brooks Mendell, President, Forisk Consulting, Georgia, USA. Dr Brooks Mendell has twenty years of consulting, operating, and research experience in forestry, finance and the timber and bioenergy industries. Dr. Mendell leads Forisk’s research and forecasting program. His experience includes roles in harvest operations and procurement with Weyerhaeuser, in management consulting with Accenture, and as a member of the forestry and finance faculties at the University of Georgia.

- Gary Myers, Principal, Timberlink – Timber Advisors to Institutional Investors, Georgia, USA. Gary Myers has over 25 years of experience in the Forest Products industry including all major timber regions of the U.S. Myers was Vice President of The Timber Company, the largest independent timber ownership in the U.S. at the time, with 6 million acres of timberland and real estate in 19 states and Canada. He also served as a Vice President of Georgia-Pacific Corporation. Myers has directed or participated in due diligence on over $15 billion in candidate timber acquisitions in the U.S. and New Zealand.


“It’s vital that investment advisers and financiers are more aware of the global factors affecting future forest and forest products developments in New Zealand and Australia. This pan-industry conference will include key international forestry investment experts who will provide that global view” says John Stulen. Full details on the event can be found on the event website, www.fimo2014.com

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