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The Conservation Fund's Natural Capital Investment Fund Leads $1 Million Venture Capital Investment in ImageTree Corporation
Venture capital supports expansion of advanced sustainable forest management technologies
Morgantown, W. Va., Oct. 17, 2006 — ImageTree Corporation™, an innovator in the application of advanced forest management technologies such as remote sensing, announced today a $1 million venture capital investment led by The Conservation Fund's Natural Capital Investment Fund (NCIF), a program that provides financing to promising natural resource-based businesses that advance sustainable economic development practices.
"Sustainable forestry is gaining momentum throughout the forest products industry, fueling substantial market demand for advanced forest analytics tools and services. With international attention on ways to mitigate global warming and restore environmental health through clean technologies, earth monitoring, carbon sequestration and green investing, we appreciate this signal of confidence from The Conservation Fund and NCIF. This investment will enable ImageTree to deliver accurate and reliable environmental information to natural resource managers,"said Mark Redlus, ImageTree CEO."We are proud to support our partners in the forest products industry who understand that leading-edge environmental management practices offer considerable financial benefits."
Conservation organizations are involved in most major transactions involving forested environments. They require detailed information on the attributes of the forest to determine the best means of managing and conserving resources. ImageTree utilizes remote sensing technologies such as LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) automated feature extraction tools and probabilistic sampling methods to analyze the tree species, animal habitats, potential volume of timber and a host of other forest attributes so that owners and managers can make informed strategic and operational decisions.
"With millions of acres of forestland slated for sale, America's forest products industry is experiencing a sea of change,"said Marten Jenkins, NCIF's executive director."We are confident that an investment in ImageTree can help The Conservation Fund and its partners unlock the wealth of knowledge contained in our nation's forests by providing tools that will enable the Fund to advance balanced conservation solutions that integrate environmental protection and economic development in West Virginia and across the nation."
ImageTree will leverage NCIF's capital investment with funds provided by new investor West Virginia Jobs Investment Trust and founding investor PA Early Stage Partners.
About ImageTree
ImageTree™is a forest inventory and analysis provider for owners,
managers and stewards of working and protected forests who need the most
accurate and complete information on the forests they manage. Learn how
Your Forest Speaks Volumes™by visiting ImageTree at http://www.imagetreecorp.com.
About Natural Capital Investment Fund
The Natural Capital Investment Fund (NCIF), a nonprofit affiliate of The
Conservation Fund, offers financing and investment capital to small businesses
that support environmentally responsible business development in West
Virginia. NCIF is certified as a"Community Development Financial Institution
Fund"(CDFI) by the U.S. Department of the Treasury's CDFI Fund. Qualifying
West Virginia businesses can use NCIF investments as working capital
and to purchase machinery, equipment and even real estate. For more information
on NCIF, visit http://www.wvncif.org .
About The Conservation Fund
The Conservation Fund is the nation's foremost environmental nonprofit
dedicated to protecting America's land and water legacy for current and
future generations. Seeking innovative conservation solutions for the
21st century, the Fund works to integrate economic and environmental
goals. Since its founding in 1985, the Fund has helped its partners safeguard
wildlife habitat, working landscapes, community"greenspace,"and historic
sites totaling more than 5.4 million acres nationwide. With 1 percent
fundraising costs and 96 percent program allocation, The Conservation
Fund is recognized as the nation's top rated environmental nonprofit
by both the American Institute of Philanthropy and Charity Navigator. http://www.conservationfund.org.
PA Early Stage Partners
PA Early Stage Partners, headquartered in Wayne, Pennsylvania and founded
in 1997, is a family of venture funds that makes investment in early
stage life sciences and technology companies. With over $235 million
under management, PA Early Stage invests in companies that are primarily
based in the Mid-Atlantic region, with a focus on Pennsylvania. The Fund
can be found on the internet at http://www.paearlystage.com.
