Manulife Investment Management, Timberland and Agriculture

#ForestProud #WorkingForests

Did you know that agriculture is Arkansas’ largest industry, adding about $16 billion to the state’s economy annually? We were excited to catch up with Senator Boozman and staff to talk about agriculture in Arkansas – where we proudly manage over 46k acres of farmland (and more than 16k acres of timberland) – and share the good work that our team members are doing every day on the ground. This was a great opportunity for the leaders of our agriculture and timberland businesses to come together and highlight the value we bring to the lands we manage and the people we impact every day. Data: https://lnkd.in/gTbpVAyP #ArkansasAgriculture #SustainableAgriculture #EconomicImpact

Corey May, a valued member of our Environmental and Policy Support team, has recently achieved a noteworthy milestone in his career development. He has earned the Certified Wildlife Biologist® certification by The Wildlife Society!    The Wildlife Society has established rigorous standards for achieving certification, which include required education and experience criteria. This certification is a testament to Corey's dedication, expertise, and commitment to excellence in the field of wildlife biology. It reflects his hard work, perseverance, and passion for wildlife conservation.   Join us in congratulating Corey on this remarkable accomplishment! Find out more about the Wildlife Society here: https://wildlife.org/ #WildlifeBiologist #WildlifeConservation #CareerDevelopment

Over 400 industry professionals and students, including several of our team members, gathered in “the city of forests” for the 39th annual Sustainable Forestry Initiative Conference hosted in Atlanta, Georgia. They learned about innovation in the sector, global supply chains, mass timber, species recovery, fire resiliency urban and community forestry, Indigenous relations, career pathways, and much more. This was a great opportunity to see where the industry is headed and to network with several industry partners and other SFI-certified organizations! We’d also like to highlight our team members who were active participants at #SFIConf! Brandon Lewis, our Senior Director of Sustainability, spoke about climate resiliency strategies and opportunities, sharing his insights into advancements in climate-smart forestry management practices and investment strategies. Catherine Martinez, our Policy and Engagement Specialist, completed the Green Mentorship Program, where she was selected as a Youth Delegate along with 48 other young professionals and students who had the opportunity to participate in career development activities, gain networking skills, and create valuable relationships while attending the conference. Chad Rischar, our National Manager of Carbon and Wetland Mitigation, was a Mentor for the Green Mentorship Program, where he supported multiple Youth Delegates during their time at the conference by discussing the forest industry, career opportunities, and much more. #SFICertified #Networking #WorkingForests #Biodiversity

Who wants a quick lesson on Mass Timber? The Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that using wood-based building materials instead of other alternative building materials avoids emissions of 483 million metric tons of CO2 annually—that’s equivalent to the annual emissions of over 100 million cars! But how is it that removing trees from a forest can benefit the climate? Consider the idea of substitution or the benefits of using renewable materials in place of nonrenewables. Research shows that choosing to build with wood instead of concrete or steel could reduce projected emissions by 9%-50%. Unlike carbon and steel, harvested wood products take the carbon absorbed from the atmosphere by trees and place it into long-term storage. Then, more trees grow in the newly opened space in the forest, creating a compounding effect for carbon storage. We are thrilled to see the new terminal at the Portland, OR airport being built with mass timber, and love to see our team members coming together to support a more sustainable future! #MassTimber #WorkingForests #ForestProud

In 2020, our directly operated U.S. agriculture platform became the first farmland certified under the Leading Harvest Standard. Today, we have approximately 286,000 U.S. acres certified under Leading Harvest! We are so proud of our farmers and managers, as we had another successful year of Leading Harvest audits within the Delta and Plains. Auditors visited several properties while discussing soil and water research, fuel-saving initiatives, drone technologies, and much more along the way. Through our practices, we are helping to accelerate the transition to a more sustainable and resilient global agricultural system. Picture: team members and Leading Harvest auditor standing by a weather station in front of a one-month-old soybean field in Coahoma County, Mississippi. #SustainableAgriculture

Did you know that in our North American timberland operations, over half of the forest properties we manage sit within ten miles of a federally recognized tribal or First Nations landholding? And in many cases, indigenous communities contract us to manage the forest on their behalf. We recently hosted a tour with WASHINGTON FOREST PROTECTION ASSOCIATION for legislators representing the Lakewood, Puyallup, Kent, South Seattle, Tacoma, Kirkland, and Issaquah tribes, providing them with a visual of what modern, sustainable forestry looks like. We also shared the cultural significance this land has for the tribes and the value they place on stewardship and managed forestland. This tour provided the legislators with insight into the close working relationship between our forest management teams and the tribes while educating them about our stewardship and sustainable practices. We are proud of these relationships and look forward to continuing working with Indigenous communities. #Stewardship #SustainableInvesting #Indigenous

We are excited to congratulate Brandon Spain, our senior farmland services manager in California, for his successful completion of the LeadOn Program – the American Pistachio Growers Leadership Program! LeadOn educates and motivates diverse industry members to become future leaders of the U.S. pistachio industry and American Pistachio Growers. Brandon learned about property management, sustainability, food quality and safety, processing, marketing and nutrition, leadership, global trade issues, and government relations.   Several of our colleagues were excited to attend the graduation ceremony for Brandon and his classmates at The American Pistachio Growers Annual Conference recently hosted in Monterey, CA. Congratulations, Brandon!   #LeadOn #Sustainability #Agriculture

We are proud to be a part of collaborative conservation efforts! #CollaborativeConservation #WildlifeConservation