Our investments in agriculture and forestry benefit from a wide range of additional use and development opportunities that secure the long-term value of the land and unlock new sources of income. Whether through the development of residential land, the establishment of nature-oriented forest cemeteries, or the generation of CO₂ certificates, each option strengthens the economic foundation of the property while simultaneously supporting sustainable development goals.
Renewable energy also offers valuable opportunities: photovoltaic systems, wind power, and large-scale battery storage turn land into active components of the energy transition and provide stable, predictable revenues. In addition, biogas plants and compensation payments for setting aside ecologically valuable areas offer further ways to combine ecological responsibility with economic benefit.
Even natural resources, when extracted responsibly, contribute to diversification and value enhancement.
Taken together, all these elements create a robust foundation for long-term value creation. They make agricultural and forest land not only ecologically valuable, but also economically attractive as an investment.
When investing in forestry and agriculture, it can be highly lucrative if land can later be rezoned as residential land. The reason is that agricultural land is generally traded at significantly lower prices than developed residential land. If rezoning occurs as a result of municipal planning, infrastructure projects, or increasing settlement pressure, the value often increases many times over. In this way, a property originally used purely for agricultural or forestry purposes can suddenly generate substantial added value, far beyond the ongoing income from timber sales or agricultural use. This leverage makes resale as residential land a potentially very profitable option.
Investing in forestry can be worthwhile if part of the land is leased as a forest cemetery. Woodland burial sites allow for natural urn burials beneath trees while leaving the forest largely undisturbed. For the investor, this creates a long-term, stable source of income that is independent of fluctuations in timber prices. At the same time, the forest is preserved, continues to fulfill its ecological functions, and benefits from the growing demand for alternative forms of burial. In this way, traditional forestry operations are complemented by a sustainable and economically attractive form of land use.
Forests sequester CO₂ and generate tradable emission certificates which, alongside traditional timber revenues, provide an additional source of income. Investments in forestry enable investors to actively participate in the growing market for CO₂ trading systems, both in regulated and voluntary markets. This results in a diversified and inflation-protected return profile characterized by long-term stability. At the same time, forestry projects meet high ESG standards, improve the sustainability profile of portfolios, and benefit from political support as well as rising demand for credible CO₂ compensation. In this way, investors combine ecological impact with economic potential and make a direct contribution to global climate goals.
The generation of electricity through photovoltaic systems is not limited to buildings but can also be implemented on a large scale on open land. By constructing PV systems, CO₂ emissions from power generation can be reduced. At the same time, this technology offers an excellent opportunity to produce electricity cost-effectively and sustainably due to its reliability, long service life of PV modules, and low maintenance requirements. Compared to other technologies, photovoltaic power has the lowest levelized cost of electricity. On the land entrusted to us, we actively promote the implementation of photovoltaic projects and have built an excellent network in this field.
The generation of energy from renewable sources is a key instrument in achieving the 2-degree target of the Paris Climate Agreement. A particular focus is on wind power, which is promoted worldwide and especially within the EU. Salm Global Land has already implemented wind power projects on many of its own properties as well as on those of its clients, thereby building a strong network in this sector. Every new property is assessed for its potential and suitability for wind turbines, and we coordinate the project development.
Large-scale battery storage systems can make an important contribution to the energy transition. They enable the temporary storage of surplus electricity, for example from photovoltaic or wind power plants, and make it available again when needed. In this way, grid fluctuations are balanced, peak loads are absorbed, and security of supply is increased. These storage solutions are installed locally and help reduce dependence on fossil fuels and centralized infrastructures. In addition, they open up new business models such as participation in balancing energy markets, optimization of self-consumption, or providing grid services at the local level. For every property owned by our clients, we examine the feasibility and added value of such storage solutions, whether as stand-alone systems or in combination with other renewable technologies.
Decentralized energy supply will become increasingly important in the future. Biogas plants can make a significant contribution to this development. They are operated locally and thus reduce dependence on fossil fuels and centralized power grids. In this technology, organic waste, slurry, residues, or energy crops such as maize are fermented to produce biogas. Before being fed into the gas grid, the biogas is upgraded to biomethane. This is comparable to natural gas and can therefore be used directly for electricity and heat generation. For each property owned by our clients, we assess the feasibility and added value of such plants.
Investors in agricultural and forest land can also benefit from the targeted set-aside of areas through the establishment of so-called conservation easements. In this process, certain uses are permanently restricted in order to ensure nature and landscape conservation. Property owners often benefit from tax advantages, subsidies, or compensation payments, while the long-term ecological quality and attractiveness of the land increase. At the same time, the land remains a valuable asset but can be managed more cost-effectively. These measures create an additional, predictable income stream.
Investors who invest in agricultural and forest land benefit not only from the long-term appreciation of the land, but also from ongoing income from agriculture or forestry. Such properties often also contain natural resources such as gravel, sand, or other mineral deposits that can be extracted and marketed. This additional source of income opens up new revenue streams that are independent of the traditional market cycles of agriculture and forestry. This makes the investment more robust and resilient in the long term.