Gresham House, the specialist alternatives manager, has completed the first close of its Sustainable International Forestry Strategy Platform, securing €250m in commitments from Worcestershire Pension Fund and Australian superannuation fund NGS Super.
The strategy provides investors with access to a diversified, mixed-age and multi-species portfolio of timberland and afforestation assets. Classified as Article 9 under SFDR, it includes timber investments across Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Ireland and continental Europe, with additional co-investment opportunities available.
In line with the manager’s Forestry Charter, the platform aims to embed ESG principles throughout the investment cycle and ensure each asset is managed for long-term ecological and community benefit.
Ben Squires, CIO at NGS Super, said: “As a Strategy Platform with a long-term horizon, sustainable forestry aligns with our objectives to achieve stable, risk-adjusted returns while contributing to global climate and biodiversity goals.”
Adrian Hardmann, chair of the Pension Committee at Worcestershire Pension Fund, added: “Forestry offers diversification, inflation linkage and tangible environmental benefits. Our commitment to the Gresham House Sustainable International Forestry Strategy Platform diversifies our existing exposure and reflects our conviction in sustainable real assets and the importance of investing in natural capital for the long term.”
