Buying Land

North America’s Largest Timberland Owners and Managers, 2020 Update

North America’s Largest Timberland Owners and Managers, 2020 Update

Forisk has tracked and aggregated timberland transaction and ownership data for fifteen years. The ownership data goes back 50 years and the transaction data goes back over 20 years to 1996. We recently published the 2020 North American Timberland Owner & Manager List, which includes 337 private organizations in the United States and Canada that each own or manage 10,000 timberland acres or more.

Since early 2019, this list and associated research has “churned” about 4.5%, reflecting the addition or removal of 1 in 22 organizations since last year due to their divestiture (selling) or acquisition of significant timberland holdings. This simply reaffirms the fact that timberland owners continue to review and modify their businesses and overall portfolios. They adjust to market conditions and to changes in their overall objectives.

Top Timberland Owners

The table below lists the 2020 top 10 timberland owners in the U.S. and Canada. Each owns at least 1 million acres (versus requiring 900,000 acres to make the top 10 in 2019). Weyerhaeuser continues to lead with 11.1 million acres, about the same as the next five firms combined (and down from 12.3 million acres last year). J.D. Irving’s 1.2 million acres in Maine secure its place as the 7th-largest timberland owner in the U.S. and adding in its 1.9 million acres in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia make it the second-largest owner on the continent.

Top 10 Timberland Owners, U.S. and Canada, 2020

Top Timberland Managers

When looking separately at the top 10 timberland managers in the U.S. and Canada, TIMOs (timberland investment management organizations), who manage timber assets on behalf of institutional investors and large private investors, hold six slots. These six TIMOs manage 15.2 million acres, or 56% of the 27.2 million acres managed by the top 10 firms (versus 26.8 million in 2019). Four forestry consulting and management firms, including the largest organization on this list (American Forest Management), account for the balance.

Top 10 Timberland Managers, U.S. and Canada, 2020

This content may not be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, in part or in whole, without written permission of LANDTHINK. Use of this content without permission is a violation of federal copyright law. The articles, posts, comments, opinions and information provided by LANDTHINK are for informational and research purposes only and DOES NOT substitute or coincide with the advice of an attorney, accountant, real estate broker or any other licensed real estate professional. LANDTHINK strongly advises visitors and readers to seek their own professional guidance and advice related to buying, investing in or selling real estate.

About the author

Brooks Mendell, Ph.D.

Brooks Mendell, Ph.D. is President and Founder of Forisk Consulting, a forest industry, timber REIT, bioenergy and timber market research firm. Dr. Mendell has over fifteen years of operating, research, and consulting experience in forest business and finance. Mendell has published over sixty articles and two books on topics related to timber and timberland REITs and markets, forest business management and operations, and communication skills.

Add Comment

Click here to post a comment

Pulse Question

If you had to survive off-grid for 2 weeks with a liter of water, what other item would you want to have?

ANSWER

Subscribe to LANDTHINK

Get the latest land articles and news sent to your inbox. Get land smart!

SUBSCRIBE