Replies to post #1791 on Investing in Timber

[fawtsc]

Good argument, BUT !!!

At this point mute.

You are dealing with premises that are found false, like all trees sold do exist.

Missing reports, deceptive advertising, uncared piles of cut trees here and there, pricing of "value added products", marketing products of proven to be at best unfeasible i.e. jatropha. The list to talk over here is growing endless to categorize.
We can spend years pin pointing the finesses of the provable about TATF.

What it is becoming obvious is that TATF has promised and issue certificates of trees ownership that do not exist. Reports that never arrived as promised, trees that are not care to be of any superior value to justify the price paid for them, payments that are no where to be found and the latest: under capitalization.

I suggest you get an audit done and do not be surprise if your audit cannot find some of your trees.

Key word is some, not all. For for "someone" might be all their trees do not exist, for others all might be there. The condition of the trees, at this point the best assessment is, mediocrity of care.

Do not take my word from it, get professional forestry help and audit your trees, you will be better off........with reality!!

[planbtotrade]

schaef,

Your point is well taken; however, for the case of buying back trees 10 years later at half the price and reselling them as a "Special Opportunity" there are added benefits to this approach for TATF.

For example, should they buy back the trees at 1/2 price from unsatisfied owners, they could include a clause that they not discuss their experiences with TATF. Much of the negative press would disappear, unhappy tree owners would terminate their relationship with TATF on an improved basis, and TATF would make money by reselling the trees!

Seems like it is a win win case for everybody, should there actually be a market for the trees. In fact, TATF could list tree owners' trees on their site as part of the special opportunity and take 40% as commission. At this point, many tree owners would be happy with 60% back.

There are many possibilities along these lines, but they all are dependent on having a market for the trees....

planb