Buy A Tree With Your Next Pair Of Armani Jeans

by Jason Gorringe, Tax-News.com, London

19 October 2001

Irish Forestry Services, Ireland's largest independent forest management company, is advertising its latest investment plan directly to up-scale shoppers in stores around the country with a ten-second full page animated advertisement which will run every four minutes for the last two weeks of the plan's marketing period, which closes at the end of October.

Says marketing director Paul Brosnan: "All of our existing and potential customers are shoppers. The medium is unobtrusive, and will support our print media advertising campaign and create the required corporate image." Irish Forestry Services also commissioned Lansboro International Productions to produce a short six-minute TV 'infomercial' that is being broadcast on NTL's link channel.

"Our objective with the infomercial is to support our existing marketing strategy and allows develop the promotion of forestry in a less abstract manner," said Brosnan.

The Third Forestry Investment Plan PLC is the third in a series of 10 year investment plans. It follows the successful completion of the Irish Forestry Funds – a series of six public limited companies comprising Irish forestry assets owned by over 6,000 predominantly Irish investors.

The Third Forestry Investment Plan PLC is projecting a rate of return of 9.6% compound per annum. The Company is seeking to raise IR£2 million to invest in pre-established and bare lands on which to plant commercial forestry with EU and Irish Government Grants. Under existing Irish legislation, the proceeds of sale of the mature forests can be distributed tax-free to investors. The Third Forestry Investment Plan PLC has a minimum investment level of IR£500 ( €634.87).

IFS Irish Forestry Services Ltd was established in 1997 and currently manages forestry in 12 counties throughout the south, west and north-west. The number of forestry plantations now exceeds 100 and totals almost 2,000 hectares.

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