Forest Invest

Today, Paul Hol, CEO of Form International and Co-Founder of Treevive, joins me for a conversation. He shares insights from his journey in forest investment within emerging markets, along with the lessons he has learned. Paul also introduces Treevive, a funding vehicle dedicated to providing feasibility funds for successful projects. These funds support activities such as early stage feasibility assessments, preparing for carbon and forest management certification, and strengthening proponents' ESG systems. Additionally, he outlines the three main stages of development: feasibility (supported by Treevive), operational progress, and the final phase of raising equity.

Form International

Treevive

Paul Hol on LinkedIn

Favourite tree: Beech tree (Fagus sylvatica)

Host: Shauna Matkovich - The ForestLink

Producer and editor: Magdalena Laas - Unscripted Creatives

02:22

Introduction to Paul's experience in emerging markets and an overview of Treevive

06:16

Criteria for project selection and current portfolio

08:11

Description of typical project and timeframe, Treevive's level of involvement

10:33

Insights into the biggest risks (flagged during assessment)

13:46

Types of developers on the ground - how Treevive works with them

16:16

Working with NGOs and corporations of farmers

18:30

Engagement structurally and financially

20:22

Main objectives and success metrics

22:55

Distinction between Form International and Treevive & Investor profile

24:25

Expectation on ROI & commercial position

25:29

Framework that attracts new investors (includes sustainability assessment, certification etc)

26:46

Three phases of funding: feasibility, operations, raise equity

29:00

Investor portfolio in second phase

30:05

Pre-credit sales opportunity, but with caveats

31:28

Actionable advice

Nature by MaxKoMusic/Soundcloud

Sopwell Woodlands and Scohaboy Bog SAC, Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary, IRELAND by wild_rumpus/Soundcloud

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Today marks the first episode of 2025! I thought we'd start the year with a highlight reel of advice that Forest Invest guests have provided to new investors. If you've been listening for a while, you will know that I always ask my guests this question: “If you could give one piece of actionable advice to investors – new to the forestry asset class – that would help them decide if and how to invest, what would it be?”

So tune in now for some great responses, representing 10 of the past 29 episodes.

Steve Novacavic | CAIA

Andrea Braun | Unique Forest Investments

Asger Olesen & Herbert Yancey | International Woodland Company

Aleksandra Holmlund | Quarlbo NAC

Dr. Colin Smith | Paperbark Consulting

MaryKate Bullen & Juan Pablo Lankenau | Forest Investment Associates

Peter D'Anieri | Sewell Forestry

Tony Simons | Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF)

Martin Berg & James Bullen | Climate Asset Management

Luis Neves Silva & Andrew Heald | iNovaland

Host: Shauna Matkovich - The ForestLink

Producer and editor: Magdalena Laas - Unscripted Creatives

Nature by MaxKoMusic/Soundcloud

Sopwell Woodlands and Scohaboy Bog SAC, Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary, IRELAND by wild_rumpus/Soundcloud

Ambient Documentary/Sound Guru/Pixabay

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Today, Luís Neves Silva, CEO and Andrew Heald, COO of iNovaland, join me. They developed a forest landscape restoration project with a unique approach. In this conversation, Luís and Andrew tell me how they met through the New Generation Plantations platform and wanted to transform the insights shared through this group into one of implementation on the ground. Their forest landscape restoration model came from their experience in the forest sector and strong networks in the project areas. Andrew and Luis describe their cornerstone projects in Brazil and Ghana, give insights into why they are different, and urge investors to think about risk and value in other ways to achieve real forest resilience and a more sustainable economic model.

iNovaland

Andrew Heald LinkedIn

Luís Neves Silva

Favourite trees: Cork (Quercus suber), Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)

Host: Shauna Matkovich - The ForestLink

Producer and editor: Magdalena Laas - Unscripted Creatives

01:20

Luís professional background

02:18

Andrew's professional background

04:20

How is iNovaland different?

06:23

iNovaland's evolution, growth, structure & projects

09:47

Services - project developer

13:28

Brazil project

17:12

Ghana project

19:07

Desired outcomes

20:30

Investor profile - interested in broader outcomes, incl. social, biodiversity, carbon

22:00

Project focus - forest restoration

23:05

Resilience of investment/landscapes

24:00

Progression of cycles - added dimensions

27:19

Ability to attract new investors - local communities central to development of projects

30.13

Ecosystems service systems tied to projects

31:18

Complexity in levels of engagement with stakeholders in both programmes

33:16

Future of iNovaland

34:43

Replication of projects

36:32

Advice

39:30

Contact details

Nature by MaxKoMusic/Soundcloud

Sopwell Woodlands and Scohaboy Bog SAC, Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary, IRELAND by wild_rumpus/Soundcloud

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In today's conversation, I'm delighted to be joined by David Brand, Executive Chair of New Forests and Independent Chair of the International Sustainable Forestry Coalition. In this chat, we discuss New Forests' incredible growth story and the vision that the company has been able to hold on to since its humble beginnings in 2005. We discuss David's advocacy work for forest investment, and in addition to outlining what inspires him about the sector, he shares what most frustrates him. David also introduces the International Sustainable Forestry Coalition, why it was created, and how its members work towards systemic change in the forest sector amidst the world's biggest circular bioeconomy, climate, and nature opportunity.

New Forests

International Sustainable Forestry Coalition (ISFC)

Forest Climate Solutions Fund

Favourite trees: Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus), Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), Eucalyptus

Host: Shauna Matkovich - The ForestLink

Producer and editor: Magdalena Laas - Unscripted Creatives

03:48

History and growth of New Forests as a company and focus on sustainability

10:18

Landscape and forest fund

11:41

External shareholders/investors - including Mitsui investors (2016) and Nomura - the transition/growth of the company

15:40

Impact - the sustainability aspect remains the driving force with new leadership

16:42

Successes of New Forests - "never compromised our vision"

18:49

Advocacy & international commitments

20:09

Future opportunities/partnerships

22:32

Frustrations re. forest investment sector

24:26

International Sustainable Forestry Coalition (ISFC) - nature-positive capital/assets & long-term ROI

28:03

Next for ISFC - circular bio-economy transition

29:44

Advice

30:10

Contact details

Nature by MaxKoMusic/Soundcloud

Sopwell Woodlands and Scohaboy Bog SAC, Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary, IRELAND by wild_rumpus/Soundcloud

Sign up now for the ForestLink’s newsletter, where you’ll receive technical advice, reflections, and best-practice guidance to support you with your forest-linked investment strategy or business straight to your inbox.

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Today, I’m joined by Romain Fau, CEO and Co-Founder of Kanop, a climate tech firm supporting its clients with remote sensing data provision, analysis, validation, and so much more. In our conversation, Romain shares why he entered the climate space and Kanop’s journey to date. We explore the general upswing in climate and nature tech and provide listeners with tips for engaging with the right service providers for their needs. We also look at the specific use case for Kanop’s support with the VM0047 methodology.

Kanop

Romain Fau (LinkedIn)

Email: [email protected]

Favourite tree: Quercus alba (White oak)

Host: Shauna Matkovich - The ForestLink

Producer and editor: Magdalena Laas - Unscripted Creatives

01:19

Romain's professional background and overview of Kanop

03:51

Evolvement of services

06:23

Evaluation re. feasibility of project

07:20

Client profile

08:34

Climate & nature tech industry

11:41

Open-source resources

14:57

Provider right fit for needs

17:33

Kanop's strategy for nature-based projects

18:37

VM0047 methodology & voluntary carbon market & remote sensing data

21:48

Data unavailable or unusable - AI needs fewer data points

24:08

AI limitations - garbage in, garbage out, black-box effect, & improvements

27:00

Next for Kanop, e.g., supply chain monitoring, biodiversity

29:31

Advice

30:35

Contact details

Nature by MaxKoMusic/Soundcloud

Sopwell Woodlands and Scohaboy Bog SAC, Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary, IRELAND by wild_rumpus/Soundcloud

Sign up now for the ForestLink’s newsletter, where you’ll receive technical advice, reflections, and best-practice guidance to support you with your forest-linked investment strategy or business straight to your inbox.

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Join me today, where I speak with Martin Berg, CEO, and James Bullen, Head of forest investment at Climate Asset Management (CAM). In this conversation, Martin explains how this young asset management firm has reached a significant goal across three investment strategies, with objectives ranging from timber-driven financial returns in developed markets to high-quality carbon-credit-driven returns in developing markets. We learn about how CAM is different, where their impact focus often is a deciding factor in asset eligibility to their strategy. If you’re curious how they’re, listen to James explain three concrete examples of assets they’ve invested in across these different strategies.

Martin

James

Climate Asset Management (CMA): https://climateassetmanagement.com/

Restore Africa Project: https://www.evergreening.org/restoreafrica/

Host: Shauna Matkovich - The ForestLink

Producer and editor: Magdalena Laas - Unscripted Creatives

01:12

James Bullen's and Martin Berg's professional background

03:14

Climate Asset Management (CMA) & climate themes/assets

07:06

Corporate players

08:05

The evolvement of investment strategy

09:35

One billion in commitments - two strategies: natural capital & nature-based carbon

11:01

Natural capital fund - investment assets

13:48

Investors

14:12

Carbon credits & impact objectives

17:24

Investment requirements - institutional, corporate vehicles

18:24

Diverse portfolio

19:59

Mitigation banking, reforestation, biodiversity credits

21:41

Asset characteristics & flexibility in opportunities in asset classes

26:53

Examples of why some assets do not fit into strategy

28:31

The challenge to originate pipeline for deals

29:55

Target for agriculture exposure vs. forestry

31:41

Challenge of emerging markets, generating investment interest

34:02

Carbon projects, timber components, greenfield establishment of forests in emerging markets

35:27

Concrete examples of strategies - agricultural, forestry, biodiversity/regenerative/carbon credits

38:51

Restore Africa project

04:21

Land management and environmental impact

41:59

Advice

Sound library

Nature by MaxKoMusic/Soundcloud

Sopwell Woodlands and Scohaboy Bog SAC, Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary, IRELAND by wild_rumpus/Soundcloud

Sign up now for the ForestLink’s newsletter, where you’ll receive technical advice, reflections, and best-practice guidance to support you with your forest-linked investment strategy or business straight to your inbox.

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Join me today, where I speak to Tony Simons, Senior Fellow of UNCCD G20 Initiative and CIFOR/ICRAF. His wealth of experience shines through in this conversation, where he describes the Managalas project, in Papua New Guinea, a country with more than 90% forest cover where 97% of the land is community held. The project truly connects how conservation meets community needs. Though carbon is a piece of the puzzle, Tony explains how valuing such a project on carbon alone is a false representation of the value these forests deliver. We discuss the financing mechanism and multi-stakeholder involvement behind this project and much more. 

Tony Simons LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tony-simons-359b09b/

Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF): https://www.cifor-icraf.org/

Global Canopy: https://globalcanopy.org/

The Managalas Project: https://themanagalasproject.com/

Favourite trees: Guaiacum sanctum, Mangifera indica (mango tree), Quercus robur (oak tree)

Host: Shauna Matkovich from The ForestLink

Producer and editor: Magdalena Laas from Unscripted Creatives

02:03

Overview - Tony's background

05:30

Greenwashing evolution

12:56

Papua New Guinea Managalas Project

17:50

Financial stakeholders - approvers, enablers, and implementers

22:38

Fungible value and non-fungible aspects of the project

27:08

Rules of engagement - corporations and communities

33:31

Local community trust - carbon markets - partners/funders - revenue stream

38:19

What's in it for corporates funding the project?

43:00

Key successes of the project & lessons shared

45:49

Importance of land use planning & management

49:00

Actionable forestry investment advice

Nature by MaxKoMusic/Soundcloud

Sopwell Woodlands and Scohaboy Bog SAC, Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary, IRELAND by wild_rumpus/Soundcloud

Sign up now for the ForestLink’s newsletter, where you’ll receive technical advice, reflections, and best-practice guidance to support you with your forest-linked investment strategy or business straight to your inbox.

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Join me today as Peter D’Anieri of Sewall Forestry walks us through their 2024 Forest Investors Survey results. We discuss discount rates across different US forest investment jurisdictions and beyond to more than 40 other geographic/market-oriented regions. We also talk about the contemporary topics of climate and carbon, interest rates, and much more. This is a must-listen episode if you want to get up to speed quickly on investor sentiment across the asset class.

Sewell Forestry: https://www.sewallforestry.com/

Favourite tree: Acer saccharum (sugar maple)

Host: Shauna Matkovich from The ForestLink

Producer and editor: Magdalena Laas from Unscripted Creatives

01:41

Background to Sewell and Peter

03:37

Investment trends in 2024, e.g., discount rates

05:57

Discount rate required for traditional timberland in the US

06:59

Major US regions and regional discount rate differential

10:27

Factors that can impact discount rates, including carbon agreements

12:07

Carbon agreements objectives

13:20

The difference in ESG definitions and questioning on the survey

17:07

Results re. ESG, sustainability and returns

17:57

Impact forestry investment themes

18:46

Surprises in results

20:48

Climate change risks - concerns from respondents & adjustments

23:19

Rising interest rate environment

26:17

Other jurisdictions - appetite for forest investment

27:27

Expansions - Australia, Chile, US

29:08

Compressions?

31:27

Generalisations re. how do these regions compare to the base US discount rate?

34:24

Question on the survey: do carbon projects reduce the incentives for traditional forestry?

35:39

Actionable advice

36:44

Contact details

Nature by MaxKoMusic/Soundcloud

Sopwell Woodlands and Scohaboy Bog SAC, Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary, IRELAND by wild_rumpus/Soundcloud

Sign up now for the ForestLink’s newsletter, where you’ll receive technical advice, reflections, and best-practice guidance to support you with your forest-linked investment strategy or business straight to your inbox.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week’s episode, I speak with Domenico Iannidinardo, CEO of Strategic Natural Resource Consultants. In this conversation, Domenico and I reminisce about our shared history in a natural resource dependent town and how things have come to change (for the better) with respect to recognition of Indigenous Rights. We talk about how Strategic’s recently new ownership model, majority owned by the Ehattesaht First Nation is giving rise to Indigenous leadership in decision-making, integrating First Nations values in how the business is run and opening up new business opportunities for Strategic.

"Our Indigenous stakeholders know as much as anyone about perseverance and sustainability; they are the descendants of rich and respected cultures that know how to integrate strategy and vision into everyday decisions. And it takes time."

Host: Shauna Matkovich - The Forest Link

Producer: Magdalena Laas - https://www.linkedin.com/in/laasmagdalena/

Strategic Natural Resource Consultants Inc (SNRC): https://snrc.ca/

Favourite tree: Yellow cedar

02:19

Domenico's background

05:08

Overview of Strategic Natural Resource Consultants

07:48

How to integrate Indigenous involvement and advocacy

10:19

First Nations included at the highest strategic levels

11:53

Cultural awareness and training

12:35

Measure cultural line as a corporation

13:31

Board composition

15:40

Chief Simon John on native ownership and strategic decision-making

17:22

Indigenous leadership model

18:55

Expansion moving forward

21:23

Actionable advice

22:05

Contact details

1. Nature by MaxKoMusic/Soundcloud
2. Sopwell Woodlands and Scohaboy Bog SAC, Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary, IRELAND by wild_rumpus/Soundcloud

Sign up now for the ForestLink’s newsletter, where you’ll receive technical advice, reflections, and best-practice guidance to support you with your forest-linked investment strategy or business straight to your inbox.

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In today’s conversation, I’m joined by MaryKate Bullen and Juan Pablo Lankenau of Forest Investment Associates. We discuss FIA’s journey and how the organization’s investing and forest management approach have evolved over the years. Where ensuring sustainable forest management and fiduciary duty remain paramount – the company is finding new ways to bring climate and nature objectives ‘to the front seat’ in what they do. We talk about the mindset shift behind this evolution and the opportunities that are emerging.

Quote

Juan Pablo: "This is a very active asset class that requires hands-on work. Our products, which are seedlings, logs, and fertilizer, are very physical, clunky, heavy, and expensive to transport, right? So, making sure to understand all of those dynamics and how they exist in the real world is critical for any newcomer who is thinking about investing in our asset class."

MaryKate: "Don't lose sight through the complexity and confusion and the headlines of the real potential that exists with those real assets"

Host: Shauna Matkovich - The Forest Link

Producer: Magdalena Laas - https://www.linkedin.com/in/laasmagdalena/

Forest Investment Associates (FIA): https://www.forestinvest.com/

Favourite trees: California Redwood & Araucaria araucana (Monkey Puzzle)

Register for the Theory of Change Webinar: Theory of Change Webinar

03:04

FIA's investment and forest management philosophy

06:13

FIA's business culture

08:05

FIA's geographical expansion and approach

14:29

Impact forestry investment - what is it?

18:48

Aspects of driving the mind-shift towards ESG & responsible investment

23:21

Forestry and climate change challenge/Sustainable forest management

28:35

Biases (Juan Pablo)

32:35

Change in approach to due diligence and supply chain

42:33

Biases (MaryKate)

45:00

Success stories

47:39

Future of FIA

50:37

Demystify forestry investment

51:44

Actionable advice

54:33

Contact details

1. Nature by MaxKoMusic/Soundcloud
2. Sopwell Woodlands and Scohaboy Bog SAC, Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary, IRELAND by wild_rumpus/Soundcloud

Sign up now for the ForestLink’s newsletter, where you’ll receive technical advice, reflections, and best-practice guidance to support you with your forest-linked investment strategy or business straight to your inbox.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.