OREANDA-NEWS. October 23, 2014. Potlatch Corporation has signed a purchase agreement to acquire 201,000 acres of timberlands in Alabama and Mississippi from affiliates of Resource Management Service, LLC for USD 384 million.

The transaction is expected to close late in the 4Q 2014 and is subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, as the company said in the press release received by Lesprom Network.

"We are pleased to add these very productive timberlands to our southern portfolio," said Michael Covey, chairman and CEO of Potlatch Corporation. "The timberlands have been managed intensively and are well stocked. This transaction will expand our southern ownership by almost 50% into two new states contiguous to our existing Arkansas holdings and will increase our total acreage under management to nearly 1.6 million acres," concluded Mr. Covey.

Upon closing, the acquired timberlands are expected to be immediately accretive to funds available for distribution per share, which would support the company's ability to grow its dividend over time. The company plans to finance the acquisition with new long-term debt and cash.

Potlatch is a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) with approximately 1.4 million acres of timberland in Arkansas, Idaho and Minnesota. Potlatch, a verified forest practices leader, is committed to providing superior returns to stockholders through long-term stewardship of its forest resources.