About us

Business purpose
The purposes of The Tree Partner Company Group as a whole are
>   to purchase, establish, and maintain agricultural and forestry plantations in a sustainable manner,
>    to land for forestry operations,
>    to capture CO2 on the plantations and trade in CO2-certificates,
>    to process and trade with agricultural and forestry products, particularly with tropical hardwoods.

Reforestation protects the rain forest
We reforest fallow pasture land according to strict ecological and social criteria. Plantations as such cannot replace the rain forest, but help to protect it by alleviating the pressure on existing rain forests by increasing the supply of precious wood from certified forestry operations. We also offer socially responsible jobs in regions where there is little other work. We operate according to the standards of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

Organic and secured growth
One of the basic principles of The Tree Partner Company is to grow organically and work with our own assets. We only plant trees and establish plantations when the financing has been secured until the final harvest. The necessary capital is put aside.
We refrain from tele-marketing, glossy brochures and expensive films. Our administrative expenses are very lean.

Organisation

The Tree Partner Company Ltd is a Swiss Limited Company with seat in Glarus. As the mother company (holding) it manages the Group. Some of its duties are financial planning, information of shareholders, limited partners and interested parties as well as the preparation and management of the AGM (excerpt of Commercial registry, German only, PDF, 132 KB), (bylaws, German only, PDF, 43 KB).  Management and administration require less than one full-time equivalent and are delegated to the company Vorausdenken. Legal advice and the management of the share register and accounting have been outsourced.

The 100%-owned subsidiary in Panama, The Tree Partner Company Panama Inc, owns the land and the plantations, contracts the plantation management, and is responsible for the sale of timber.

The Tree Partner Company GmbH & Co KG offers natural persons living in Germany the opportunity to participate in a closed fund as limited partner. The investor participates in the commercial success of the reforestation company via the investment in shares of The Tree Partner Company Ltd.

Members of the Board and the Management

	Dr. Carol Franklin Engler Chairman of the Board Born 1951, Swiss and British citizen. Worked with Swiss Re (as Head of Aviation, Head of Group Human Resources, Member of the Executive Board Division Europe) for 20 years, was Executive Director of WWF (World-Wide Fund for Nature) Switzerland for 3 years. Currently partner in Vorausdenken, a consulting company for sustainable development. Ombudsman on the Swiss telecom industry and of PostFinance. Chairman of the Board of Forests for Friends Ltd and of Forests for Friends Panama Inc.
	Rudolf Engler Delegate of the Board and Manager Born 1952, Swiss citizen. Officer in the Swiss Army (Colonel) for 18 years. Since 1996 self-employed consultant on disaster training for firms and communities. Partner in Vorausdenken. Author of various specialised books. Lecturer at vocational schools. Delegate of the Board of Forests for Friends Ltd and Manager of Forests for Friends Group.
	Romano Costa Born 1970, Swiss citizen. Dipl. Forest engineer ETH/SIA, MBA at the University of St.Gall. Owner of an engineering firm specialising in forest-environment-natural hazards. Up until end of 2008, auditor for FSC-forest certification. Manager of a reforestation project in Bolivia. Member of the Board of Forests for Friends Ltd and of Forests for Friends Panama Inc.
	Heiko Liedeker Member of the Board of The Tree Partner Company Ltd. *1960, German Citizen. Master of Forest Ecology (University of Vermont, USA), Bachelor in Forestry (Ludwig-Maximilian-Universität, Munich, Germany). Executive Director of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) from 2001 to 2008. 5 years in leading forestry roles at WWF Germany and Switzerland. 3 years as senior advisor to various public authorities, universities and ministries of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Today, engaged with public sector, corporate sector and civil society organizations as strategic advisor on social, environmental and economic compliance, standard setting, certification and governance.

One seat on the Board is stipulated for a large investor.

Our added value
The Executive Directors, Carol Frank­lin and Rudolf Engler, have proved their management qualities in various areas for decades. In an intensive process, they have gained in-depth knowledge of the forest industry. They have formed a strong network and have acquired a good reputation with investors and in Panama . Their partners include leading players and they are well-versed in cooperating with global NGOs. They vouch for transparent processes in a lean organisation and for a trustworthy and sustainable business execution.

As forest engineer of a renowned university, the ETH Zurich, Romano Costa brings the forest expertise to the Board. In addition he has many years of experience as FSC certifier in the Alps and is responsible for a reforestation project in Bolivia.  

Heiko Liedeker is mainly known worldwide due to his seven years as the FES-executive director. He has excellent relationships within the forestry and business world and was elected ninth most powerful man in the pulp and paper industry

The maintenance
Planting, maintenance, and harvest have been contracted on a long-term basis to Brinkman y Asociados Reforestadores de Centro América , S.A. in Panama (BARCA).
The holding company Brinkman & Associates Reforestation Ltd is a respected reforestation company in Canada with almost 40 years of experience. It is involved in reforestation and planting and has also operated in Costa Rica since 1994.
Inter alia, BARCA manages 1,300 hectares of teak plantations in Panama for Forests for Friends Panama Inc.