CatchMark Timber Trust, Inc. (NYSE: CTT) announced today the completion of its previously announced acquisition of 1.1 million acres of prime East Texas timberlands for approximately $1.39 billion in a joint venture with a consortium of institutional investors, including BTG Pactual Timberland Investment Group, Highland Capital Management, Medley Management Inc., and British Columbia Investment Management Corporation. The property was sold by Campbell Global, on behalf of the institutional owners of the property, in one of the largest U.S. timberlands transactions of the past decade. The joint venture — operating as Triple T Timberlands — is a CatchMark-managed affiliate.
Jerry Barag, CatchMark’s President and CEO, said: “Building off our existing East Texas presence, we intend to move quickly and efficiently to integrate operations under CatchMark with our former chief operating officer John Rasor, who became President of Triple T upon closing. Our intention is to maximize value for our stockholders and partners by executing on a carefully designed operations plan and implementing best management practices.”
For an investment of $200 million, CatchMark has tripled the number of acres under its control and management to approximately 1.6 million acres and significantly expanded its fee-based asset management business. The innovative transaction fits CatchMark’s profile for acquiring interests in properties which can provide sustainable growth for its stockholders. The acquired timberlands have a highly productive site index and are projected to grow from the current 2.8 million tons of annual harvest volume to more than five million tons by 2028.
Forest Resource Consultants and American Forest Management are performing land management and accounting functions, respectively, on the Triple T Timberlands properties as they do at other CatchMark-owned properties.
Raymond James acted as financial advisor to CatchMark in the transaction; Alston & Bird LLP and Smith Gambrell & Russell, LLP served as legal advisors to CatchMark. Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP and Proskauer Rose LLP served as legal advisors to the group of institutional investors.
About CatchMark
CatchMark Timber Trust, Inc. (NYSE: CTT) is a self-administered and self-managed, publicly-traded REIT that strives to deliver superior risk-adjusted returns for all stakeholders through disciplined acquisitions, sustainable harvests and well-timed sales. Headquartered in Atlanta and focused exclusively on timberland ownership, CatchMark began operations in 2007 and owns interests in approximately 1.6 million acres of timberlands located in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. For more information, visit www.catchmark.com.
