Potlatch to Sell it's Hybrid Poplar Plantations

The following was extracted from Potlatch's news release. --Brian
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"Potlatch Corporation (NYSE:PCH), a real estate investment trust (REIT), has announced the sale of the company's 17,000-acre hybrid poplar tree farm in Boardman, Oregon, to a private-equity tree-farm investment fund for $65 million. A definitive purchase agreement was signed today and closing is expected during the second quarter of 2007. ...
This 17,000-acre property is certified under the stringent forest practices guidelines of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), along with the remaining 1.5 million acres under Potlatch ownership. Development of the unique Boardman plantation was started in 1992 to supplement Potlatch's fiber needs...
"After spending the past year evaluating the best path forward, and meeting with a number of interested poplar-focused operators, we are pleased to have reached an agreement with a global leader in the hybrid poplar industry who we believe is better positioned to deliver greater value from the operation," said Chairman, President and CEO Michael J. Covey." Read the entire news release.