2025 Timberland Investment Conference – Draft Agenda
The 2025 Timberland Investment Conference is presented by the University of Georgia Harley Langdale Jr. Center for Forest Business. The conference will be held March 12-13, 2025 at the Ritz-Carlton at Amelia Island, Florida.
The draft agenda is below and subject to change.
Tuesday, March 11
9:00 am – 3:00 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 Forecast
- Dr. Rajeev Dwahan; Director, Economic Forecasting Center, J Mack Robinson College of Business, Georgia State University
- 3:15 pm – 3:45 pm Housing Forecast
- 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
Panel sponsored by Orbis
5:15 pm – 7:00 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 Acquisition and Disposition Strategies
- 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
- Bolko Graf von der Schulenburg; Founding 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
- Dr. Rafal Chudy; Chief Economist, 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, CFA; 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; Associate Director, Agricultural Economics, Manulife
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm Closing Reception, Ocean Lawn
