“This project would not have happened without a collaboration with the Northern Forest Center, Downeast Lakes Land Trust, and Lyme Timber who uniquely understand how the livelihood of the entire community here is connected to the forest and companion outdoor recreation industry,”
– CEI Capital Management CEO Charlie Spies
According to the National Alliance of Forest Owners, more than 2.4 million jobs depend on private working forests. The vast majority of these jobs are located in rural communities, where poverty persists even as more urban areas have recovered from the recent economic downturn.
Although broader economic forces will continue to challenge rural America, Lyme helps support the communities in which it works by partnering with nonprofits and conservation agencies to protect working forests – the source of good paying jobs in forestry and in the forest products industry.
Lyme is the only domestic timber investment manager to manage its lands using fund-owned portfolio companies. This model aligns investor interests with property management. It also empowers local forest managers to work in a more entrepreneurial way. Finally, this model creates the potential for a new owner to continue operations seamlessly after a property is sold.
