Forest Investment is not something that many average investors consider as an asset class that they can invest in. Traditionally Forest Investment has been an asset class that has been the preserve of Institutional Investors.
Over the past 5 or 6 years this has all changed and many forest investment companies are now actively marketing forestry to the retail investor. The reason for this is that a lot of institutional investment has been reduced due to the credit crunch.
So is forestry a good investment to consider as part of your portfolio? There was a major report written by Mercer who were are a worldwide investment consulting service, which reviewed the last 100 years of Forest investment.
Their report shows that Forest Investment has delivered a return on average of 3% above inflation every year over the last 100 years. In fact these figures are based mainly on temperate forests in North Western where there is 100 years of records. What we are now seeing is a move towards more forestry being planted in Tropical areas where growing conditions are even better.
A great ting about forestry is that 66% of an investor's returns are based upon biological growth rather than financial. Biological growth can be estimated fairly accurately and so due to this the volatility of the returns is much lower than for a traditional investment. This makes it a great portfolio diversifier.
Research evaluating a number of different asset classes showed that when using the Sharpe ratio which measures return divided by volatility (Risk) Timberland came out second from top. The only asset class to outperform it was small cap equities which delivered higher returns but also at a higher level of risk.
Most financial advisers tell their clients to diversify their portfolios to reduce the level of risk. But what most advisers and investors believe this means is to diversify across a number of different equities or include Bonds and cash in their portfolios. This I believe is too narrow a definition of diversification and should also include commodities.
Forestry allows you to invest in the underlying asset unlike many traditional financial assets. A number of companies now cater for the retail investor with limited funds, which means if you want to invest in forestry you probably can for as little as 3,200 Euro's.
A lot is defined as 0.1 Hectares and typically 111 trees are planted per lot. The investor will receive the income from that lot over the lifecycle of the investment. Income normally comes from a number of thinnings and then a final return at the felling of the trees at the end. It should be noted that most revenue comes at the final felling.
Forest Investment is considered a medium to long term investment, but you can choose a species of tree that meets your time criteria. Softwood trees can reach maturity in as little as 6 or 7 years, whilst hardwood trees reach maturity from 17 to 25 years.
Good forestry companies are able to market an investor's trees to new investors if they want to liquidate their holding before final harvest. This makes the forestry investment liquid and means an investor does not need to hold the tree throughout the full lifecycle. This way a forest investment can meet the requirements of most investors. If you would like to know more about forest investment please visit www.forestinvestment.co.uk.
Over the past 5 or 6 years this has all changed and many forest investment companies are now actively marketing forestry to the retail investor. The reason for this is that a lot of institutional investment has been reduced due to the credit crunch.
So is forestry a good investment to consider as part of your portfolio? There was a major report written by Mercer who were are a worldwide investment consulting service, which reviewed the last 100 years of Forest investment.
Their report shows that Forest Investment has delivered a return on average of 3% above inflation every year over the last 100 years. In fact these figures are based mainly on temperate forests in North Western where there is 100 years of records. What we are now seeing is a move towards more forestry being planted in Tropical areas where growing conditions are even better.
A great ting about forestry is that 66% of an investor's returns are based upon biological growth rather than financial. Biological growth can be estimated fairly accurately and so due to this the volatility of the returns is much lower than for a traditional investment. This makes it a great portfolio diversifier.
Research evaluating a number of different asset classes showed that when using the Sharpe ratio which measures return divided by volatility (Risk) Timberland came out second from top. The only asset class to outperform it was small cap equities which delivered higher returns but also at a higher level of risk.
Most financial advisers tell their clients to diversify their portfolios to reduce the level of risk. But what most advisers and investors believe this means is to diversify across a number of different equities or include Bonds and cash in their portfolios. This I believe is too narrow a definition of diversification and should also include commodities.
Forestry allows you to invest in the underlying asset unlike many traditional financial assets. A number of companies now cater for the retail investor with limited funds, which means if you want to invest in forestry you probably can for as little as 3,200 Euro's.
A lot is defined as 0.1 Hectares and typically 111 trees are planted per lot. The investor will receive the income from that lot over the lifecycle of the investment. Income normally comes from a number of thinnings and then a final return at the felling of the trees at the end. It should be noted that most revenue comes at the final felling.
Forest Investment is considered a medium to long term investment, but you can choose a species of tree that meets your time criteria. Softwood trees can reach maturity in as little as 6 or 7 years, whilst hardwood trees reach maturity from 17 to 25 years.
Good forestry companies are able to market an investor's trees to new investors if they want to liquidate their holding before final harvest. This makes the forestry investment liquid and means an investor does not need to hold the tree throughout the full lifecycle. This way a forest investment can meet the requirements of most investors. If you would like to know more about forest investment please visit www.forestinvestment.co.uk.
About the Author:
Interested in Forest Investment? make sure you check Mark Skeels' excellent free report on Forest Investment. Sign Up now for your free Forest Investment Report.
No comments:
Post a Comment