F&W Forestry Services, Inc., one of the oldest and largest forest management and consulting firms in the U.S., announced that it has acquired London-based O.C.S. Group Ltd.’s forestry and land subsidiaries. The acquisition includes three companies with forest management and real estate operations in North America and the United Kingdom.

For the Albany, Ga.-based F&W, the acquisition is a major expansion of its operations in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions of the U.S. and its first entry into the U.K. F&W currently maintains a network of 25 offices in the U.S., Uruguay, Brazil, and France.

The companies included in the purchase are Fountains Forestry Inc., a forest management firm, Fountain Lands Inc., a retail forest real estate firm, both located in the Northeastern U.S., and Fountains Forestry UK, Ltd., a forest management and real estate firm operating in England, Scotland, and Wales.

“This acquisition is a very compatible and comfortable fit for F&W,” said Marshall Thomas, president of F&W. “There is a tremendous amount of synergy between F&W and the three companies geographically and operationally.”

F&W will retain employees and management from the new companies and is committed to a seamless transition to ensure the ongoing quality and reliable service which clients value and expect.

"Taking care of our clients throughout this transition is our top priority," Thomas added.

The purchase includes the acquisition of seven offices in North America that have an operating footprint covering Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and western Ontario near Lake Superior. The U.K. offices, which serve landowners in England, Wales, and Scotland, are located at Banbury (Oxfordshire), Inverness (Scotland), Exeter (Devon), and Bedale (North Yorkshire). Combined, the three companies have more than 50 employees and manage more than 535,000 acres of forests and woodlands.