In Chile, Santiago-based Masisa is putting 36,000ha of planted forest up for sale out of its total national forestry assets of almost 145,600ha. Forest holdings earmarked for sale in Brazil will amount to 4,000ha from a national total of 12,000ha.
While parcels of forest selected for sale in Brazil have few synergies with the group’s main wood panels plant in Ponta Grossa in Paraná state, the plantations it intends to sell in Chile are 250km south of Masisa’s board production centre at Cabrero in the Bio Bio region, the group’s ceo Roberto Salas told the Chilean daily El Mercurio.
The executive declined to reveal its overall target price for the land sale, simply indicating Masisa aims to get "as much as possible".
The group plans to retain a 20% stake in the land in partnership with the buyers who will be expected to sign a supply contract granting Masisa "access to fibre over the next 30 to 40 years".
Mr Salas said he expects the sale to be completed by the end of this year.
