Forestry Investment Leader David Brand to Headline The Precinct Investor Symposium

Influential forestry investment leader Dr David Brand will headline an Investor Symposium hosted by The Precinct in Melbourne this October as investors explore an initial $200 million-plus opportunity to establish large-scale engineered wood product manufacturing in Victoria’s Green Triangle.

Dr Brand, founder of global forestry investment manager New Forests, will deliver a keynote address on 14 October 2026, drawing on more than four decades of experience across forestry investment, forest management and natural capital. 

Russ Hughes, chair of The Precinct and former CEO of Australian Bluegum Plantations, will host the invite-only event as investors assess the commercial pathway, market opportunity and investment case for the world scale Precinct development, proposed for Portland in south-west Victoria.

The event marks a return to the investment origins of Dr Brand’s work in Australia. He founded New Forests in 2005 with a single forestry asset in the Green Triangle with the goal of bringing institutional capital into the plantation sector. The business has since grown into a global operation with $10.6 billion in assets under management with a portfolio covering plantations, timber processing, agriculture, conservation, carbon and natural capital. 

From the outset, Dr Brand recognised that the value of a forest extended well beyond the sale of wood fibre. His work helped advance a more sophisticated view of forestry as an asset class, capable of delivering additional value through carbon, biodiversity, conservation and broader landscape outcomes.

Just as carbon created a new way to value plantations, Dr Brand will explore the next evolution of the sector, transforming established plantation resources, traditionally exported as raw fibre, to be the feedstock for higher-value, domestically produced engineered wood products and prefabricated construction systems - markets experiencing strong domestic demand and constrained supply.

The symposium follows the completion of the Hardwood Timber Manufacturing Hub feasibility study, which confirmed the technical and commercial pathway for the initial stage of The Precinct development.

The proposed initial stage, earmarked close to port and transport infrastructure, represents more than $200 million in investment and would establish a large-scale Glue-Laminated Timber (GLT) manufacturing facility, supported by a state-of-the-art sawmill and major log merchandising facility. It will use locally grown plantation hardwood, creating an estimated 74 permanent jobs and anchoring future stages of engineered wood product manufacturing, including Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL) and prefabricated building component manufacturing.

The market opportunity is significant, with Australia importing close to $1 billion of engineered wood products and wood panels each year, including significant volumes of LVL, GLT and plywood used extensively in housing construction.

The Precinct Chair Russ Hughes said the symposium came at pivotal moment for investors and the region’s forestry sector.

“Victoria has an established plantation resource, but too much of its potential value leaves the region before it is converted into higher-value products,” Mr Hughes said.

“The opportunity is to connect the resource we already grow with engineered wood manufacturing and prefabrication capability, so more of the economic value, skilled employment and industrial capability is retained in Australia, helping to meet our growing housing needs.

“Dr Brand has been at the forefront of forestry investment for decades. His experience, including the early New Forests investment in the Green Triangle, gives him a particularly relevant perspective on the opportunity now emerging for this globally recognised region.”

Under the theme “From Plantation to Product to Prefabrication”, the invitation-only symposium will bring together institutional investors, industry leaders, government representatives and project partners to consider the investment case, market opportunity and pathway to delivery.

The Precinct is supported by major industry contributions and the Commonwealth Government’s Australian Forest and Wood Innovations (AFWI) and the Victorian State Government.

About Dr David Brand

Dr David Brand is the founder of New Forests and an internationally recognised leader in forestry investment, forest management and natural capital.

Dr Brand founded New Forests in 2005, starting with a single forestry asset in the Green Triangle, building the business into a globally recognised investment manager. Under his leadership, New Forests developed an investment model that brought institutional capital into long-term forestry assets, while expanding its focus to include wood processing, infrastructure, agriculture, conservation, carbon and environmental markets.

With more than 40 years’ experience across forestry investment, forest management, science and public policy, Dr Brand holds a PhD in Forestry from the University of British Columbia and a Bachelor of Science in Forestry from the University of Toronto.

Today, Dr Brand continues to work at the intersection of forestry, investment and natural capital, advising and investing in businesses and assets connected to sustainable land use and the emerging bioeconomy. He is Managing Director of Arborcrest Investments and Executive Chair of Standwell Forest Investments and continues to contribute to international discussions around forestry investment, natural capital and the transition to a nature-positive economy. 

He also serves as an industry representative on the Australian Forest and Wood Innovations (AFWI) Centre for Climate Smart Forestry steering committee, which is supporting The Precinct development feasibility.

About Russ Hughes 

Russ Hughes is the current Chair of The Precinct and recently stepped down as CEO of Australian Bluegum Plantations (ABP), after leading the business for more than a decade.

A professional forester with a Bachelor of Science in Forestry from the University of Toronto and an MBA from Queen’s University, Mr Hughes brings global experience across all aspects of forest and plantation management. During his time with ABP, Mr Hughes played a significant role in strengthening the company’s long-term position, including leading major landscape and environmental restoration initiatives and investing in career pathways to develop the next generation of foresters. Prior to joining ABP in 2015, he worked within the forest industry across Canada and the United States leading various land stewardship projects, including working closely with First Nations.

A long-standing leader and advocate for the plantation sector, Mr Hughes was one of the founders of the Green Triangle Forest Industries Hub, helping shape its focus on strengthening the region’s forestry value chain. He has been a key champion of efforts to create new opportunities for the plantation sector in Australia, particularly in the engineered wood products sector, now being realised in The Precinct development.