ENV 684b () / 2026-2027

Forest and Ecosystem Finance

Credits: 3 Spring 2027: Time and location TBA

More than half of the forest land in the U.S. is privately owned. Understanding the financial implications of forest management decisions is a key component and concern for many landowners, whether smallholders or large institutional investors. This course teaches students how to apply basic financial analysis to questions of forest management and explores how financial perspectives shape trends in land ownership and management.  This course is predominately focused on the US timberland market and investor-oriented decision-making frameworks to support the valuation, acquisition, and management of forestland for timber production. However, individual class sessions will provide complementary perspectives from professionals at the intersection of investing and international markets, environmental markets, agriculture, conservation or other land use strategies. Skills and principles learned in this course will be readily applicable to different country contexts, operational scales, or landowner goals. In the latter portion of the term, students apply concepts in a case study and final valuation memo based on an actual or realistically structured deal scenario.