The NCREIF Timberland index returned 1.05% in the third quarter, split between 0.45% appreciation and 0.6% income return. The return is up 12 basis points from the prior quarter and up 30 basis points from the year-ago quarter.
It also marks the highest third-quarter return since 2007. Mary Ellen Aronow, senior forest economist at Hancock Timber Resource Group, said in a news release quarterly gains were driven by “continued recovery in U.S. housing markets combined with Chinese demand for imported logs and lumber.”