Meet The Forestland Group
“The Forestland Group was founded on the premise that investors would appreciate the compatibility between economic and ecological concerns.”
~ Chris Zinkhan, TFG Co-Founder
TFG’s investment vehicles harness the dynamics of natural forest management to provide environmental impact and long-term financial performance.
Industry Leaders
The Forestland Group (TFG) is an independent Timberland Investment Management Organization (TIMO). The Forestland Group (TFG) is headquartered in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. TFG’s regional offices are in the Southeast, Appalachia, Great Lakes, and the Northeast. We manage forests for a mix of institutional, foundation, endowment, and family office clients.
TFG delivers large-scale climate change mitigation, strategic conservation outcomes, and portfolio returns through the ownership and management of working forests. TFG is an industry-leading seller of forest carbon offsets with a 25-year track record of forestland investing guided by the core value of sustainability.
Our History
Four leaders from academic and conservation backgrounds founded the company in 1995.
Tom Massengale was a Senior Executive for The Nature Conservancy; George Dutrow was the Dean of Forestry at Duke University; Chris Zinkhan was a forest finance professor at the University of Georgia; and Chip Collins was the first Executive Director of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, set out to explore the institutional investment potential of natural forests. They built the company on a common set of beliefs, all unique in 1995.
- Appreciation for natural forests
- Strong conservation ethic
- Creativity to navigate opaque markets
- Commitment to balance sustainable management with financial performance
These beliefs are the foundation for the company’s mission-focused culture today.
TFG’s Milestones since 1995
2020
Largest private forest carbon offset project in history of California Air Resources Board regulated market
TFG Commits to B-Corp Certification
TFG completes the sale of 240,000 acres of critical conservation land in Belize to an international consortium of NGOs
2019
153,000 acre Virginia Highlands and Lonesome Pine sale to NatureVest, an affiliate of The Nature Conservancy
TFG joins UNPRI Signatories
2018
Received FSC® Leadership Award
17,816 acre Anderson Tully Company sale to The Nature Conservancy
2015
Awarded Project Developer of the Year by the Climate Action Reserve
2014
112,445 acre sale of Champion, NY Property
2013
Bishop Property 500,000 carbon offset sale to Shell Oil Co.
2012
100,000 acre carbon project developed on Champion, NY Property
First TIMO to register a California Air Resources Board Early Action Carbon Project
2010
12,089 acre Dragon Run conservation property purchased
2009
9,800 acre Carbon Canopy Partnership
2008
The Yalbac Ranch and Cattle Corporation included 163,000 acres of largely natural hardwood forests in Belize
2007
13,700 acre Raccoon Ecological Management Area sale to the State of Ohio
First international investment. Caribbean Timberlands Property Purchase
2005
1,980 acre Delaware Conservation Easement
Certified entire portfolio in accordance with FSC® Principles and Criteria
Received FSC® Sustainable Standard Setter Award
270,000 acre Bishop Conservation Easement
2003
Conservation Transactions: 9,000 acres to South Mountain, NC and 6,000 acres to the WV National Park Service
2002
25,000 acre Eastern Shore, MD Conservation Easement
1999
100,000 acre Champion, NY Property Conservation Easement
1998
32,000 acre Emory River, TN became TFG’s first FSC® Certified property
1995
TFG Founded