Dutch Pension Fund Backs Forest Regeneration with $167m for Climate Resilience

SLM Partners secured $167 million from Dutch pension investor APG to scale continuous cover forestry (CCF) in Europe, advancing climate resilience through targeted forest management.

SLM Partners closed $167 million (€150 million) from Dutch pension fund APG for its SLM Silva Fund II, representing the final commitment for this investment vehicle. The fund has already acquired 2,000 hectares of forest land, with 67% transitioned to continuous cover forestry (CCF) management. This approach aligns with the EU Forest Strategy for 2030, which identifies CCF as a method to enhance forest climate resilience.

The initiative builds on existing EU forest practices: approximately 22–30% of European forests currently use CCF, though this figure is an estimate from the source. SLM Partners emphasizes that CCF is not universally applicable across all forest types or conditions, meaning its implementation requires careful site-specific assessment.

This progress supports climate resilience—a critical factor in environmental stability that directly affects water cycles and food production systems. By advancing CCF in targeted regions, the project contributes to the EU’s climate goals while demonstrating scalable forest management that could reduce risks to natural resources. The next phase will monitor how CCF adapts to local ecological constraints, with the source noting its limitations in diverse forest contexts.

Source: AgFunder News