The Forest
That Pays
and Heals the Planet
Investing in forests has always been synonymous with patience — with paulownia, that equation changes, offering the security of a real asset with a speed of return rarely seen in the sector.
The WootheForest Project aims to produce sustainable fast-growth timber through advanced forest management practices, supplying the construction sector with high-quality raw materials while making a meaningful contribution to carbon mitigation.
6 Reasons This Investment Stands Apart
With a focus on risk reduction and return maximisation. We have a validated market opportunity, confirmed strategic partnerships, and are raising capital to scale operations.
Premium Tissue Culture Plant Genetics
Over 30 years of expertise in micropropagation. Partnership with a laboratory in Brazil enables in-situ Tissue Culture plant multiplication, guaranteeing quality and genetic adaptability to the tropical climate.
Integrated Supply Chain
Verticalised supply chain with micropropagation technology. From Tissue Culture plant to harvest-ready tree, we control every stage, ensuring total quality and traceability of the timber produced.
Technical-Operational Team
Over 40 years of hands-on experience in agro-project management. A team with proven results across multiple high-complexity projects.
Senior Leadership
The founding team combines proven experience in project management and international business, sustainable finance and timber construction. We are not first-time entrepreneurs — we have a track record of execution and active strategic partnerships.
Potential for Vertical Integration with IRONWOOTHE® Technology
The unique link between the forestry fund and the densification factory multiplies timber value by 8–10×. A highly innovative differentiator — no other European forestry fund offers this integrated value capture.
European Fund Structure
A fund established in Europe offers institutional confidence, international compliance and access to EU financing lines. ESG/SDG aligned, with access to demanding global investors.
Europe Doesn't Have the Timber to Build the Future It Promised.
The construction sector is under pressure to decarbonise. Mass timber — CLT, glulam, engineered wood panels — is the answer the industry has found. But Europe imports 80% of the timber it consumes. The raw material is missing.
WootheForest is not just a forestry fund. It is a strategic response to a structural supply problem: producing the right raw material, in the right place, with the right technology — to supply the European construction sector for the next 30 years.
Raw Material for Sustainable Construction
Paulownia is one of the few fast-growth species that produces timber with the structural properties required for CLT and engineered wood panels. Light, resistant, and with low carbon footprint.
IRONWOOTHE®: From Forest to High-Value Product
Our patented densification technology transforms paulownia timber — naturally light — into a high-density material that competes directly with tropical hardwoods, without the environmental impact.
Mercosul-EU Agreement: Strategic Window
The trade agreement between Brazil and the EU creates a unique opportunity: certified timber produced in Brazil can enter European markets with preferential tariffs, precisely when structural demand is growing rapidly.
The Scarcity of Sustainable Timber is the New Value Frontier
Global demand for certified timber is growing at 6–8% per year, driven by the construction decarbonisation imperative. Europe faces a structural deficit of 200 million m³ of timber per year by 2030. The Mercosul-EU agreement opens a unique strategic window: well-managed reforestation projects in Brazil can supply European markets with high value-added, fully traceable certified timber, precisely when structural demand is growing rapidly.
Timber demand growing 6–8%/year globally
France mandates 50% timber in public buildings — other countries will follow
EUDR creates premium for certified, traceable timber
Mercosul-EU agreement reduces tariffs on Brazilian timber exports
Hybrid Paulownia: The World's Fastest-Growing Hardwood
Known worldwide as the fastest-growing tree with significant commercial value, hybrid Paulownia varieties combine exceptional technical performance with an unparalleled positive environmental impact.
Accelerated Growth
Can reach 5–6 metres in the first year, and by the end of year 5 may achieve a diameter of 25–30 cm. Harvest cycles of 5–7 years, with natural coppicing that eliminates replanting costs.
Superior Carbon Sequestration
Multiple studies indicate a sequestration capacity of ~30 tonnes of CO₂ per hectare per year — up to 10× more than conventional reforestation species.
High-Value Timber
30% lighter than comparable hardwoods, with excellent mechanical strength.
Renewable Asset
Up to 5 harvest cycles per tree, with increasing productivity. Predictable and scalable cash flow over 30 years.
| Characteristic | Hybrid Paulownia | Eucalyptus | Pine | Poplar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maturation | 5–8 years | 15–25 years | 15–20 years | 6–8 years |
| Yield (m³/ha) | 300–590 | 300–600 | 250–500 | 100–150 |
| CO₂ Sequestration (t/ha/yr) | ~30 | ~10 | ~8 | ~15 |
| Est. Price (€/m³) | €100–145 | €65–80 | €115–160 | €70–110 |
Solid Returns on a Real, Renewable Asset
WootheForest projects a return of approximately 4× invested capital over a 15-year horizon, with a 22% IRR. Free cash flow turns positive from the fifth year of operation, with recurring revenues at each harvest cycle.
Internal Rate of Return for the investor over a 15-year horizon.
Multiple on invested capital at the end of 15 years of operation.
Free Cash Flow to Firm over the first 15 years of the project.
Tonnes of CO₂ sequestered per hectare per year, with certification potential.
Revenue Structure
Use of Proceeds (€10.5M)
Timeline
An Article 9 SFDR Fund
SFDR Article 9 Compliance
The fund will be structured to meet the EU's most demanding sustainability standards, with Article 9 ESG classification — the highest level of environmental commitment.
Satellite + AI Monitoring
Continuous monitoring system via satellite supported by artificial intelligence, ensuring full traceability of forestry operations and compliance with EUDR.
European Legal Structure
Fund headquartered in Portugal or Luxembourg, providing legal certainty, regulatory transparency and access to potential tax benefits for European investors.
Key Partnerships
Initiatives are underway to develop protocols in collaboration with Embrapa and UFRRJ, strengthening the prospects for species adaptation and productivity gains.
Protected Genetic Technology
Genetically improved Tissue Culture plants developed over 12 years, in laboratories located in Lisbon and Eindhoven. The variety is recognised as non-invasive and has international validation.
Carbon Certification
Certification process with proprietary methodology (focusing on premium carbon removals with biogenic carbon accounting throughout the chain, including carbon stored in long-lived wood products) and internationally recognised, with potential to generate CO₂ credits from year 3, creating an additional recurring revenue stream.
The Beginning — 1,000 Hectares in Brazil (Rio de Janeiro)
The forestry operation plans to manage 1,250 hectares in the State of Rio de Janeiro, with 1,000 hectares dedicated to productive hybrid Paulownia planting at a density of ~713 trees per hectare. The project is structured in two complementary harvest cycles: 40% of the area with 5-year cycles and 60% with 7-year cycles, maximising the predictability and recurrence of cash flows.
"Timber will be commercialised in the global market, with a focus on plywood, LVL and micro-CLT panel manufacturers in North America, Latin America and Europe. The objective is to sign advance purchase contracts (offtake agreements) with major reference buyers."
Free Cash Flow to Firm (FCFF) — 15 Years
Values in millions of euros. Positive from Year 5 with the 1st harvest cycle.
From €150/m³ to €1,300/m³:
The IRONWOOTHE® Technology
The group is developing in parallel an industrial wood densification unit in Portugal, with an application submitted to PT2030. The IRONWOOTHE® technology — in the patent process — transforms low-density timber into a high-performance structural material capable of replacing concrete and steel in large-scale construction.
How does the process work?
The IRONWOOTHE® process acts at the molecular level: cross-linking hemicellulose, polymerising lignin and compressing cellulose fibres. The result is a high-density carbon timber, without the use of polymers or polluting chemicals — the agents used are the same validated by the food industry.
In the case of Paulownia, the treatment is particularly effective: the timber moves from durability class DC5 (non-durable) to DC2–DC3, and its fire resistance improves from REI 15–30 min to REI 30–45 min, with slower charring. The final characteristics approach those of ipê, one of the most valued timbers on the market.
What makes IRONWOOTHE® unique?
Performance Comparison: IRONWOOTHE® vs. Reinforced Concrete
| Parameter | IRONWOOTHE® | Reinforced Concrete C25/30 | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bending strength (MOR) | 100–205 MPa | ~15 MPa | 10–14× superior |
| Structural efficiency | 690 kNm/kN/m | ~95 kNm/kN/m | 6–7× superior |
| Self-weight (beam) | ~0.5 kN/m | ~1.2 kN/m | 60–70% lighter |
| Carbon footprint | Carbon negative | High CO₂ impact | Full sustainability |
| Assembly speed | Modular, fast | Curing + formwork | Much faster |
| Sale price (m³) | €1,300/m³ | — | 8–10× vs. raw timber |
Important note for investors
The industrial unit implementing the IRONWOOTHE® technology will absorb a portion of the annual production from our forest, while the remainder will be commercialised in the global timber market. This relationship ensures that the forestry fund is completely independent of the factory's success, while simultaneously guaranteeing the factory a stable and predictable supply. Two distinct businesses, one unique synergy.
European Expertise, Tropical Execution
Ana Osório
🇵🇹Co-Founder
Specialist in New Business Development Strategies with a focus on Sustainability, ESG Policies and Sustainable Finance. Degree in Financial Management and Marketing.
Nuno Vale
🇵🇹Co-Founder
Founder of Ooty and Kozowood. Architect with 20+ years of experience in sustainable timber construction. Holder of the IRONWOOTHE® patent.
André Boereboom
🇳🇱Technical Partner
CEO of Boereboom Invitro Cultures Netherlands. Specialist in plant propagation by in vitro culture and forestry technology. Combines expertise in plant biotechnology, innovation in plant multiplication and international commercialisation strategies, with a track record of developing advanced cultivation methods for sterile cultures.
André Coelho
🇵🇹Financial Advisor
Investment professional with experience in private equity, venture capital and real estate. Former Director at HSBC Monaco and JPMorgan Geneva.
António Horta
🇧🇷Brazil Coordination
Agricultural Engineer. Sustainability and Carbon Project Manager. Senior Consultant in Regenerative Agriculture and ESG.
Luiz Bueno
🇧🇷Operational Coordination
Agricultural Technician and Field Operational Coordinator. Responsible for the execution and monitoring of forestry operations in Brazil.
Validated Projects Globally
Paulownia Agroforestry (Spain)
Spanish project with 500+ ha of Paulownia, demonstrating the viability of the model in Southern Europe with returns comparable to those projected for WootheForest.
Carbon Plantations UK
UK-based project combining Paulownia plantations with carbon credit generation, demonstrating the dual financial and environmental value of this species in a European context.
Gresham House Forestry
Leading European forestry fund manager with €3B+ AUM, demonstrating institutional appetite for forestry assets as an alternative investment class.
Answers to the Most Common Questions
Project & Location
Paulownia Timber
Fund Structure & Financials
Sustainability & Impact
What exists today and what we are building
WootheForest is in the seed round fundraising phase. Forest operations will formally begin after the close of financing, expected in 2026. We are not selling a project in execution — we are presenting a real opportunity at an early stage, with risks and potential clearly defined.
Join Us in Building this New Asset Class
We are building a new asset class — fast-growth, carbon-positive forests — structured under European governance standards and tropical operations. We are seeking investors who share our long-term vision and understand the transformative potential of this project.