CDPQ to Build Forestland Portfolio in US Pacific Northwest

Canadian pension fund Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec on Monday announced plans to build a portfolio of forestland in the United States. The fund will launch a new investment platform with an established asset manager in the natural assets space to deploy capital. 

The pension plan, which manages C$452 billion in assets ($336 billion), will take a minority stake in Oregon-based Chinook Forest Partners LLC, an asset manager that focuses solely on natural resource investments. CDPQ will deploy capital through Chinook, primarily across the Pacific Northwest.

“By investing in forestland, we are not only protecting valuable natural assets, but also contributing to the transition toward a greener economy,” said Emmanuel Jaclot, executive vice president and head of infrastructure at CDPQ.

The investment is a part of CDPQ’s sustainable land management initiative within the fund’s C$59.8 billion (as of year-end 2023) infrastructure portfolio. Established in 2020, the initiative seeks to deploy capital across natural assets, including timberland, agriculture, wetland restoration, carbon capture and other land-focused sustainable assets. 

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“This partnership represents a fantastic opportunity to efficiently deploy capital while increasing operational efficiencies across our forestland ownership base, which will better serve our investors,” said Scott Marshall, founding partner in and CEO of Chinook Forest Partners, in a statement. 