Conference Agenda

2025 Timberland Investment Conference Agenda

The 2025 Timberland Investment Conference was presented by the University of Georgia Harley Langdale Jr. Center for Forest Business and held March 12-13, 2025 at the Ritz-Carlton at Amelia Island, Florida. Our final 2025 conference agenda is below.

Tuesday, March 11

8:30 am – 3:30 pm Forestry Field Tour
Hosted by Rayonier

Wednesday, March 12

11:00 am – 5:30 pm Conference Check-in

12:00 pm – 2:00 pm Women in Timber Luncheon
Hosted by Eversheds-Sutherland

2:00 pm – 2:15 pm Introduction and Welcome

• • Erin Lincoln; Director of the Center for Forest Business, University of Georgia

2:15 pm – 4:00 pm Session 1: Economic Outlook

• 2:15 pm – 3:15 pm United States Macroeconomic Outlook
  • Dr. Rajeev Dhawan; Director, Economic Forecasting Center, J Mack Robinson College of Business, Georgia State University
• 3:15 pm – 3:45 pm What’s Next for Homebuilding?
  • Mark Vitner; Chief Economist, Piedmont Crescent Capital

3:45 pm – 4:15 pm Afternoon Break

4:15 pm – 5:15 pm Session 2: Panel: AI, Data Integrity & ROI: Ensuring Trust & Value in the Age of Automation
Session sponsored by Orbis

• • Moderator: Kim Kean; Director of Marketing, Orbis
  • Carl Henson; Founder & CEO, MarZeka Consulting
    
  • Danan Margason; Founder & CEO, Aarden AI
  • Peter McHale; CEO and Cofounder, Gaia AI

5:15 pm – 7:15 pm Opening Reception, Ocean Lawn
Drinks sponsored by Greenline Climate

Thursday, March 13

7:00 am – 8:30 am Breakfast

7:30 am – 12:00 pm Conference Check-in

8:30 am – 10:00 am Session 3: Timberland Investment and Finance

• 8:30 am – 9:00 am Timberland Required Rates of Return
  • Peter D’Anieri; Senior Resource Consultant, Sewall Forestry & Natural Resource Consulting
• 9:00 am – 9:30 am Active Portfolio Management
  • W. Rhett Rogers; Senior Vice President, Portfolio Management; Rayonier
• 9:30 am – 10:00 am European Investor Decisions in US Timberland Markets
  • Constantin Freiherr von Wendt; Managing Partner, Salm-Schulenburg

10:00 am – 10:30 am Morning Break

10:30 am – 11:45 am Session 4: Market Shifts in Timberland Investments

• 10:30 am – 11:00 am Emerging Market Opportunities and Future Prospects in Timberland Investments
  • Dr. Rafal Chudy; CEO & Founder, Forest Business Analytics
• 11:00 am – 11:45 am Panel: The Changing Timberland Investment Business Model
  • Moderator: Dr. Brooks Mendell; President & CEO, Forisk Consulting
  • Carter Coe; Managing Partner, Chinook Forest Partners
  • Doug Long; EVP & Chief Resource Officer, Rayonier
  • Blake Stansell; President & COO, Aurora Sustainable Lands

11:45 am – 1:30 pm Lunch

1:30 pm – 3:00 pm Session 5: Timberland Investor Strategies

• 1:30 am – 2:00 pm The Impact of Mill Closures on Timberland Investments in the US South
  • Dr. Bruno da Silva; Assistant Professor in Forest Finance, UGA Harley Langdale Jr. Center for Forest Business
• 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm Investor Challenges: 2025 and Beyond
  • Tracy Buran Evens; Principal, TimberLink LLC

3:00 pm – 3:30 pm Afternoon Break

3:30 pm – 5:00 pm Session 6: Building and Retaining Exceptional Teams

• 3:30 pm – 4:00 pm Cultivating the Future: Growing and Leading Generation Z in the Workplace
  • Dr. Lauren Ledbetter Griffeth; Extension Leadership Specialist, University of Georgia
• 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm Panel: Talent Acquisition, Development, and Retention
  • Moderator: Dr. Lauren Ledbetter Griffeth; Extension Leadership Specialist, University of Georgia
  • Garrett Mack; Director, Portfolio Management, Forest Investment Associates
  • Dr. Todd Petty; Dean, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia
  • Dr. Weiyi Zhang; Director, Agricultural Economics, Manulife

5:00 pm – 7:00 pm Closing Reception, Ocean Lawn
Closing Reception sponsored by Orbis