Reactions from the 2022 Field Trip

I have a general interest in forests, and the Baltic market has some more attractive land prices than we see in Denmark. Therefore, it could be an exciting place to expand the forest portfolio.

It is very nice to travel in a group from different countries and with different backgrounds. It creates a good dynamic to hear questions from others – and also it's fun to travel in a group.

When visiting the local timber industry and when driving around the forests, it becomes clear, that the forestry infrastructure in the Baltics is well developed. Foresters use modern tools and data to manage their forests and the process is very digitalized. This helps us evaluate investment cases, and I think the Baltics can be a key area for us in the future.

Not having a background in forestry, this is really helpful to understand how it works, and what value it brings to the Baltic society. We are basically seeing the process from planting the trees, to harvesting and to the finished IKEA-product. The idea is do an afforestation project here in the Baltics, but I wouldn’t shy away a more traditional timber investment after seeing the whole value chain here.

I particularly appreciate the discussions with the regional foresters to understand the details of an investment here. The many small properties is a structure that would normally increase the administrative burden considerably - but this does not seem to be the case with HD Forest in charge. I see this as a very positive aspect that I will remember back home.

It's a really good Field Trip, and you get some personal contacts this way. The other participants are nice, there is a good atmosphere, and we have already had a lot of good conversations with each other - and with the HD Forest staff. Also I got a particularly positive impression of the Baltic countries, which are much more developed than I thought.

I read about the trip in my forest magazine, and then I simply signed up for it. You can only praise this company, which I can understand has roots in Denmark. They have been really kind and generous on the trip.

I think we got a really good insight into how they manage the forests over here. It is a somewhat more extensive forest management than in Denmark. They plant less - instead they let the forest rejuvenate itself. That's probably the biggest difference I've noticed.