About Forte

 

The Forest Owners Research and Technology Exchange (FORTE) is a platform for learning from advanced applied operational forestry, operational field research, and economic forest sector management research. The Exchange is a forum where Reviewing the growth trajectory and realized stem quality of an advanced control mass cross loblolly pine planting, during the 2021 Annual Exchange Meeting near Tuscaloosa, AL.Participants connect with other forestry landowners, managers, investors, product and service providers, lenders, insurers and others. The focus for the research and investment analysis is the Southern forest resource, weighted heavily to southern pine plantations, but including our hardwood resources as well. Productivity, stem quality, site quality, genetics, silvicultural activities and timing, natural and induced risks, and sustainability concerns all affect investment returns and these are topics of interest to FORTE Participants. FORTE differs from existing research programs in that:

1. Its focus is the integrated forest investment, as opposed to concentrating only in specific areas like tree improvement, or fertilization, or biology, or pest management, etc.
2. FORTE studies are summarized to deliver the economic result of operational management activities and systems. The economic analysis includes an assessment of the realized gain (returns) after establishment, management, and risk events, i.e. the real world investment.
3. The platform for learning is operational forestry based, including studies that are well designed and statistically analyzed, as well as measured observations from operational stands.
4. In many cases, an individual Participant’s fees may be used for specific landowner research needs (designed and implemented to address limitations on that owner’s property, as opposed to only region wide series research trial work).
5. Participants are drawn from a larger pool that spans the full forestry sector.
6. FORTE overhead is decreased as compared to that of historical cooperative research organizations that have overhead fees of 50-60% (that must be applied to most projects).  FORTE participation fees are lessened (lower cost; high return).