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Expertise on two fronts
Nature
Founded in 1966, the Société Forestière de la Caisse des Dépôts is today one of the largest management companies for forests and natural spaces. It manages more than 1,000 broad-leaved and coniferous forests on behalf major institutions (banks, insurance companies…), private forest funds and private owners.
Present throughout France through its regional branches, it offers its customers a team of 130 specialists including 45 forest technicians, 15 of whom are approved experts.
And investment
From the launch of the first product linked to an insurance contract (1978) to the foundation of the first S.E.F. (Forest Savings Funds -2005), Société Forestière has pioneered investment in forests and it has become the reference for this market.
It offers investors a unique range of solutions and handles the management of some € 800 M. of assets and 100 forest groups.
Since 1995 it has published (in collaboration with the FNSAFER and Terres d’Europe -SCAFR) the market index for forests in France, which has become the point of reference for all investors.
An original approach
Reconciling financial performance…
For Société Forestière, successful management means, first and foremost, satisfying the requirements of the client. Maximum yield, guaranteed liquidity, taxation of assets… whatever the requirements, Société Forestière pursues a management approach designed to maximize the desired performance.
Its size and financial strength are major advantages in this, enabling it to make substantial economies of scale and deploy high performance management resources to achieve specific results.
… and sustainable development
Société Forestière has always taken a long-term view. Moving beyond its reforestation work, in 1991 it embarked on an approach that developed a sustainable development mechanism (1997) and which led to the ISO 9001 certification of the company and the environmental certification of the managed forests.
It is also one of the foundation stones of the Caisse des Dépôts Climate Mission and an international investment fund to help reduce the emission of greenhouse gases.
Today, it is working on a similar mechanism for the management of biodiversity and is creating the forest of tomorrow through sylvicultural methods that are adapted to climate change and developments in timber markets,
Committed to innovation
In each of its areas of expertise, Société Forestière has constantly innovated to perpetuate its clients’ assets:
- through technical management, ranging from the development of intensive reforestation methods and techniques for selection broad-leaved silviculture to preserving biodiversity;
- through asset management, from the creation of the first products guaranteeing yield to the development of new, forest-based markets.
Tailor-made services
Surveys & expert assessments
With 15 approved experts, Société Forestière is France’s leading provider of expert assessments, working across the country and in all types of forests to:
- assess assets, losses
- carry out surveys for enhanced forest exploitation
- put together and reorganize investment products
- provide consultancy (legal, technical, fiscal…)
whilst also offering total independence and complete confidentiality.
Looking to the future, it is also developing expertise in surveys of growth markets: new outlets for forest products, new ways of evaluating natural spaces (biodiversity, carbon sinks)…
Forest investment
Société Forestière works with its clients, whether institutional or private, in all phases of their investments:
- from the purchase (advice/choice of the most suitable form of investment)
- to the management of assets (carrying out investments and arbitration, administrative management, social life of entities, directing the technical management…)
- and the possible sale.
It also offers investors a range of unique solutions capable of satisfying all their requirements (financial, asset-related or fiscal):
- Private Forest Fundswith guarantee of share redemption,
- Forest Fundsoffering allowances to set against wealth tax and income tax,
- Performance-oriented Funds.
- S.E.F.(Forest savings funds)…
Technical management
From a simple technical opinion to comprehensive forest management, Société Forestière offers forest owners a broad range of services:
- Diagnostics, action plans
- Site monitoring
- Monitoring health and upkeep of plantations
- Implementing work
- Marketing of timber
- Marketing of hunting, fishing rights
- Relations with the authorities…
Whether specific or comprehensive, its services always employ the management method best suited to the client’s requirements: intensive management, asset management, management for hunting or tourism…
Transactions
Every year, Société Forestière handles over 20% of the purchases or sales of forests of more than 100 hectares on behalf of its clients. Its dedicated team may be appointed to handle all or part of the transaction:
- searching for purchasers/vendors
- handling negotiations
- signing the deed of sale/purchase.
It has a series of key strengths that enable it to successfully carry out the tasks entrusted to it:
- unmatched market knowledge
- an extensive network of high quality contacts (specifiers/clients)
- substantial promotional resources (web site, mailings, press releases, network of local contacts…).
Landscape management
A well-considered approach to the management of natural spaces is one of today’s key challenges. The Landscape planning department of the Société Forestière understands this and employs a multi-disciplinary team of landscape planners and plant engineers.
It offers local authorities and developers services to assist them with the managing and specifying of projects for all kinds of:
- outdoor urban or semi-urban spaces,
- wooded areas (historic parks, leisure and recreational parks, embankments…)
- landscaping of roadways and infrastructure…