ethical forestry

oldtoolie

Some guy from a boiler room call West Pier Consultants called me about this. Out of curiosity I listened and then looked into it. The idea is you give somebody money and they give it to some guy in Costa Rica who has access to some land and they grow some trees for you on that land and maybe someday they cut the trees down and sell them and then they send you some of the money or maybe they don't. Maybe bugs ate the trees or there was a forest fire. Or they just didn't feel like sending you the money. And if you don't like that, you can take them to court in Costa Rica. You do know a good lawyer in Costa Rica don't you?

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However, the Cochabamba Project in Bolivia strikes me as a bit different. Nonetheless, if I invest in it it will be from my charitable contribution budget rather than my investment budget.

Drew_58

Have looked at this as i was passed the company details by Avocade, I was keen to give it a go as the returns were superb, too good perhaps, then I read the comments on here and have grave doubts about sending my hard earned money to someone i have never met, that says they will plant some saplings on my behalf in Costa Rica, then four years in will send me £5640, then four years later £15,595 two years later £20,518 and then two years later at harvest £62,436

How can you trust that will happen, even if the trees have not been eaten by beatles, blown away with a hurricane, or demand has declined?

I found this article very interesting at Money Observer
www.moneyobserver.com/issue/features/growing-pains

I for one am glad that I checked this Investment out, and is not something I will get involved in

Froggitt

On the grounds that two newbies with no posting record have both posted new threads entitled "ethical forestry", its obviously :spam:

Run for them hills IMHO.

Lansdowne

Drew_58 wrote: »

, even if the trees have not been eaten by beatles,

That must be Norwegian Wood then.

Lansdowne

Froggitt wrote: »

On the grounds that two newbies with no posting record have both posted new threads entitled "ethical forestry",

Not "new threads" one is 10 months old the other 9 months.

maxruby26

Have read these posts with interest and as with all investments, one has to do research.

There are any scams out there and this fund could be the greatest thing since sliced bread or a Ponzi - all I can say is that I have invested and have received returns as projected for the last two years.

I am an Adviser myself and as part of our due diligence, the company went to the actual site in Costa Rica to see what was going on.

It is all down to individual taste and appetite for risk - yes, beetles, bugs, holocausts etc could bring the whole thing down and there is no insurance for this.

These risks are all set out in the brochures etc so if you are not happy with these risks, then it is not for you. I would concede that a phone based salesperson would not talk about any of the downsides.

At the end of the day, we all have choices and ideally, you should seek out Financial Advice as a good IFA will have done DD and will tell you all the good and bad bits and confirm in writing and you either invest or not.

I would not ever suggest that you should invest based on what the salesman tells you over the phone as he is on commission to sell.

Caveat Emptor

PlutoinCapricorn

Since the 2012 post was made, we have heard that it will soon not be legal to offer such schemes to the general public: carbon credits, binary options, fine wines etc. will be for experts and specialists only.

Edward_A-B

I work for a regulated forestry investment management company. We run investments in a number of countries. Our clients are NOT retail clients.

Here's some information on this type of timber....

If you are considering this then you need to be comfortable with the market risk. Melina is a low grade timber when compared with Teak.

Teak supply chains are opening up - and we're talking certified and sustainable teak, not virgin jungle.

I can't comment on the company in question or this product - I have no idea and will not comment on whether they are good bad or ugly, but it would seem that supply is down in Costa Rica if the returns profile is deliverable. More growth, more supply, less demand maybe.... get in early and you're fine for the first few harvests, but what if supply oustrips demand in year 20 or so? These are perfectly reasonably questions to ask your investment manager...and if they are good, they will give you a straight answer.

Melina is a niche wood. This might fit as PART of a portfolio. Timber is a GLOBAL industry - trust me, the extent to which timber is shipped across the world is phenomenal. Teak, Pine and Spruce are all globally attractive.

Timber investment is not a wonderfully liquid investment...some people like the long term though. However, by investing in a globally marketable timber with lots of ready markets, you stand to enhance the liquidity of your investment.

No questions are stupid. If you aren't being told the truth, trust you instincts and walk away. Forestry is great for only a FEW people in a unique and often privileged situation. Fools rush in.

Happy to discuss. 0207 788 9250

planteria

interesting thread
i think i responded to an advert way back, as was interested to learn more when investing in a tree plantation. they have sent me lots of information since.
unsure whether they passed my details to Wine, Coloured Diamonds and Carbon Credits companies, but they all started arriving around the same time.
i would not invest in Ethical Forestry.

badger09

Come on guys - I could do with some here against stockpeg spammer