CatchMark to Acquire Timberlands in Georgia, East Texas for $74 Million

CatchMark Timber Trust, Atlanta, Ga., USA, has agreed to purchase 36,340 acres of timberland (known as the Waycross-Panola properties) located in southeastern Georgia and eastern Texas from Hancock Timber Resource Group for approximately $74 million. The transaction, CatchMark's first acquisition since its successful initial underwritten public offering last December, is expected to close during the second quarter.

Transaction highlights include:

CatchMark will acquire approximately 1.45 million tons of merchantable timber inventory and increase the share of higher value chip-n-saw and sawtimber in its product mix. The inventory comprises 84% pine plantations by acreage and 54% sawtimber by tons.
The Georgia properties, located near Baxley (Waycross), and the eastern Texas properties (Panola) combined are expected to add approximately 180,000 to 200,000 tpy to CatchMark's harvest volumes over the next decade.
The Waycross-Panola properties are situated exclusively in the core U.S. South timber region in highly competitive wood markets, accessible to some of the best mill markets in the country, which will diversify CatchMark's customer base.
The properties feature above-average productivity characteristics—Waycross, in particular, registers inventory growth rates approximately 50% higher than average U.S. South timberlands.
The transaction will be financed through CatchMark's credit facility.

The agreement is subject to customary closing conditions and approval by the investment committee of Hancock Natural Resource Group on or before March 20, 2014.

CatchMark is a self-administered and self-managed publicly traded REIT that began operations in 2006 and owns interests in approximately 278,100 acres of timberland on the lower Piedmont and upper coastal plains of east central Alabama and west central Georgia. It owns approximately 247,200 acres and leases some 30,900 additional acres from third parties.

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