Steve Gretzinger

Steve Gretzinger photo

Steve Gretzinger

Managing Director
Zak Forest Resources LLC

Steve Gretzinger is Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Thadean, a U.S. based company that acquires and consolidates existing forestry companies in complementary geographies to provide consistent financial returns at reduced risk to investors. Steve leads the implementation of Thadean’s unique approach to Impact Forestry based on a diverse mix of commercial timber species, vertically integrated manufacturing of wood and non-timber forest products, clear accounting of environmental services and social impacts, and non-correlated revenue streams.

Steve recently served as Senior Director of Climate Smart Forestry Investments at Conservation International (CI) where he led a global team on the origination and due diligence of innovative forestry investments for the USD 200 million Carbon Solutions Fund (Apple, Goldman Sachs and CI) which allocated capital to Latin American companies meeting the fund’s rigorous financial and ESG objectives. Steve also spearheaded CI’s investment and impact advisor role with Mombak, a company dedicated to generating high quality carbon credits from its ecological restoration activities in the Brazilian Amazon.

Prior to joining CI, Steve’s own company, Zak Forest Resources provided services to private forestry companies, institutional investors, private equity firms, governmental agencies and non-profit organizations on wood production, pipeline development, capital raising, ESG compliance, community engagement, and carbon policy. His pragmatic approach to resolving complex challenges comes from having lived for over three decades in 4 Latin American countries where he built and strengthened forest-based economies. Zakforsa has harvested and exported wood products from Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Peru to U.S., Latin American, and Asian markets.

Steve also worked as Acquisitions Manager for GreenWood Resources (now part of Nuveen Natural Capital), Senior Global Forestry Specialist for the IFC, CEO of one of the largest natural forest concessions in the Amazon, and the Latin American Director of WWF’s Global Forest, and Trade Network. He owns his own small forest property in Eastern Oregon where is also an active investor in Heartwood Biomass, a company converting low-value wood from forest restoration into unique products that strengthen remote, local economies and reduce the likelihood of large fires.

Mr. Gretzinger earned a bachelor’s degree in Geography / Land Use Planning from Oregon State University, and a master’s in Tropical Forestry from North Carolina State University.


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Sessions

Innovating New Approaches in Afforestation, Reforestation, and Revegetation Carbon Projects

CIFB Apr 2024Watch session

Large-Scale Forest Conservation in the Peruvian Amazon

CIFB Mar 2023Watch session