We need land to continue to maintain and add forests to the landscape. We're keen to talk to you about lease and purchase opportunities. 

 

In order to grow a forest you need land that will sustain the species you want to grow.

 

Land selection focusses on soils (depth to impeding layers, texture, moisture-holding capacity, organic matter percentage, nutrition, salinity presence/absence) and landscape (is it water-gaining or shedding? Will it be inundated in winter?).

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We're very interested in long-term climate too. Will the rain fall all year or just a few months? What is the evapotranspiration (the rate at which water evaporates from the soil and sweaty trees)? Can the site absorb the moisture and will the trees be able to access the water when the rain stops? 

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If all the planets align, we're interested in growing trees on a site. 

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We have three land acquisition models: 

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1. Lease: most commonly used in the lease model. You (the landowner) retains the land and we enter into a long-term lease for Ents to grow trees on the land. The lease rates are competitive and CPI-indexed. The farmer just has to remember to pay rates and taxes, and where they last parked the caravan;

2. Purchase: We retain a portion of company-owned land under our forests to secure long-term wood supplies. We're interested in talking to landowners who want to sell. Where Ents is capital-constrained, we have a number of sophisticated investors who want to invest in timberland;

3. Sharefarm: under a sharefarm arrangement, we share in the crop risk and its successes. No rent is paid but we agree a split of the harvest proceeds at the end of the rotation. Think of it like a deferred rent arrangement - the rent comes at the end of the rotation - with the farmer retaining land ownership.

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Take a look at our short video that explains what we believe are the top five things to consider when choosing a partner for a long-term forestry lease.

 

We're keen to talk to you. If you want to speak to us about leasing, selling or sharefarming, reach out through our Contacts page.