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

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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.

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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