Forestar Group Inc. - Annual Report: 2010 (Form 10-K)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form 10-K

 

 

Commission File Number: 001-33662

Forestar Group Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

 

 

6300 Bee Cave Road
Building Two, Suite 500
Austin, Texas 78746-5149
(Address of Principal Executive Offices, including Zip Code)

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (512) 433-5200

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes o     No þ

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act. Yes o     No þ

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.  Yes þ     No o

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes o     No o

 

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§ 229.405) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  o

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

(Do not check if a smaller reporting company)

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes o     No þ

 

The aggregate market value of the Common Stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant, based on the closing sales price of the Common Stock on the New York Stock Exchange on June 30, 2010, was approximately $544 million. For purposes of this computation, all officers, directors, and ten percent beneficial owners of the registrant (as indicated in Item 12) are deemed to be affiliates. Such determination should not be deemed an admission that such directors, officers, or ten percent beneficial owners are, in fact, affiliates of the registrant.

 

As of February 25, 2011, there were 35,420,348 shares of Common Stock outstanding.

 

 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

 

Selected portions of the Company’s definitive proxy statement for the 2011 annual meeting of stockholders are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Form 10-K.

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

 

Overview

 

Forestar Group Inc. is a real estate and natural resources company. We own directly or through ventures over 220,000 acres of real estate located in nine states and 12 markets and about 606,000 net acres of mineral interests. We have over 197,000 acres of timber on our real estate and about 18,000 acres of timber under lease. In 2010, we generated revenues of $101 million and net income of $5 million. Unless the context otherwise requires, references to “we,” “us,” “our” and “Forestar” mean Forestar Group Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries. Unless otherwise indicated, information is presented as of December 31, 2010, and references to acreage owned include all acres owned by ventures regardless of our ownership interest in a venture.

 

We manage our operations through three business segments:

 

 

A summary of business segment assets at year-end 2010 follows:

 

 

Our real estate segment provided 67 percent of our 2010 consolidated revenues. We secure entitlements and develop infrastructure, primarily for single-family residential and mixed-use communities. We own about 167,000 acres in a broad area around Atlanta, Georgia, with the balance located primarily in Texas. We invest in projects principally in our strategic growth corridors, regions across the southern half of the United States that possess key demographic and growth characteristics that we believe make them attractive for long-term real estate investment.

 

We have 18 real estate projects representing about 30,000 acres in the entitlement process, principally in Georgia. We also have 76 entitled, developed or under development projects in seven states and 11 markets encompassing over 16,000 remaining acres, comprised of land planned for over 27,000 residential lots and about 2,400 commercial acres, principally in the major markets of Texas. We own and manage projects both directly and through ventures. We sell land at any point within the value chain when additional time required for entitlement or investment in development will not meet our return criteria. In 2010, we sold over

5,800 acres of undeveloped land through our retail land sales program at an average price of about $3,500 per acre.

 

Our mineral resources segment provided 25 percent of our 2010 consolidated revenues. We promote the exploitation, exploration and development of oil and gas on our 606,000 net mineral acres. The four principal areas of ownership are Texas, Louisiana, Alabama and Georgia. The majority of our revenues are from oil and gas royalties from over 490 producing wells owned and operated by third parties in Texas and Louisiana and lease bonus payments. Historically, these operations require low capital investment and are low risk.

 

Our fiber resources segment provided 8 percent of our 2010 consolidated revenues. We sell wood fiber from our land, primarily in Georgia, and lease land for recreational uses. We have about 197,000 acres of timber on our land and about 18,000 acres of timber under lease.

 

Our real estate origins date back to the 1955 incorporation of Lumbermen’s Investment Corporation, which in 2006 changed its name to Forestar (USA) Real Estate Group Inc. We have a decades-long legacy of residential and commercial real estate development operations, primarily in Texas. Our mineral resources origins date back to the mid-1940s when we started leasing our oil and gas mineral interests to third-party exploration and production companies. In 2006, Temple-Inland Inc. began reporting Forestar Real Estate Group as a separate business segment. On December 28, 2007, Temple-Inland distributed all of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock to its stockholders, which we will refer to in this Annual Report on Form 10-K as the “spin-off”.

 

Leveraging over 300 years of real estate, oil and gas, and other natural resources experience, we believe our management team brings extensive knowledge and expertise which better positions us to recognize and responsibly deliver the greatest value from every acre.

 

Strategy

 

Our strategy is:

 

 

We are focused on delivering the greatest value from every acre through the entitlement and development of strategically-located residential and mixed-use communities. We secure entitlements by delivering thoughtful plans and balanced solutions that meet the needs of the communities where we operate. Moving land through the entitlement and development process creates significant real estate value. Residential development activities target lot sales to national and regional home builders who build quality products and have strong and effective marketing and sales programs. The lots we deliver in the majority of our communities are for mid-priced homes, predominantly in the first and second move-up categories. We also actively market and sell undeveloped land through our retail sales program. We may develop multifamily commercial tracts ourselves or for other commercial tracts we may either sell to or venture with developers that specialize in the construction and operation of income producing properties.

 

We seek to maximize value from our oil and gas mineral interests by increasing the acreage leased, lease rates, royalty interests and additional participation in production in the form of non-operating working interests. We realize value from our undeveloped land by selling fiber and by managing it for future real estate development and conservation uses. We also generate cash flow and create additional value through recreational leases.

 

We are committed to disciplined investment in our business. Approximately 65 of our real estate projects were acquired in the open market, with the remainder coming from the entitlement efforts associated with our low basis lands principally located in and around Atlanta, Georgia. In 2010, we acquired a 401 unit, Class A multifamily property in Houston, Texas for $49,100,000.

 

Our portfolio of assets in combination with our strategy, management expertise, stewardship and reinvestment in our business, position Forestar to maximize and grow long-term value for shareholders.

Strategic Initiatives

 

In 2009, we announced our near-term strategic initiatives to enhance shareholder value by: generating significant cash flow, principally from the sale of about 175,000 acres of higher and better use timberland; reducing debt by approximately $150 million; and repurchasing up to 20 percent of our common stock.

 

In 2009, we sold about 95,000 acres of timber and timberland in Georgia and Alabama for approximately $159 million in two transactions generating combined net proceeds of $154 million, which were principally used to reduce debt and pay taxes. These transactions resulted in a combined gain on sale of assets of $104 million.

 

In 2010, we sold about 24,000 acres of timber and timberland in Georgia, Alabama and Texas for $39 million in seven transactions generating combined net proceeds of $38 million, which were principally used to reinvest in qualifying real estate under Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 1031. These transactions resulted in a combined gain on sale of assets of $29 million. In addition, in third quarter 2010, we repurchased 1,000,987 shares of our common stock at a cost of $15 million.

 

At year-end 2010, assets held for sale under these strategic initiatives includes about 55,000 acres of undeveloped land with a carrying value of $14 million and related timber with a carrying value of $7 million. Though we continue to actively market this land, market conditions for timberland have deteriorated since second quarter 2009 due to increased investor return requirements, limited availability of financing and alternate investment options for buyers in the marketplace. We are a disciplined seller, and as a result, additional time will be required to complete the sale of these assets.

 

2010 Highlights

 

In addition to the strategic initiative land sales described above, highlights during 2010 include:

 

 

Real Estate

 

In our real estate segment, we conduct a wide array of project planning and management activities related to the acquisition, entitlement, development and sale of real estate, primarily residential and mixed-use communities. We own and manage our projects either directly or through ventures, which we use to achieve a variety of business objectives, including more effective capital deployment, risk management, and leveraging a partner’s local market contacts and expertise.

 

We have real estate in nine states and 12 markets encompassing over 220,000 acres, including about 167,000 acres located in a broad area around Atlanta, Georgia, with the balance located primarily in Texas. Our development projects are principally located in the major markets of Texas.

Our strategy for creating value in our real estate segment is to move acres up the value chain by moving land located in growth corridors but not yet entitled, through the entitlement process, and into development. The chart below depicts our real estate value chain:

 

 

We have over 174,000 undeveloped acres located in the path of population growth. As markets grow and mature, we intend to secure the necessary entitlements, the timing for which varies depending upon the size, location, use and complexity of a project. We have almost 30,000 acres in the entitlement process, which includes obtaining zoning and access to water, sewer and roads. Additional entitlements, such as flexible land use provisions, annexation, and the creation of local financing districts generate additional value for our business and may provide us the right to reimbursement of major infrastructure costs. We have over 16,000 acres entitled, developed and under development, comprised of land planned for over 27,000 residential lots and about 2,400 commercial acres. We use return criteria, which include return on cost, internal rate of return, and cash multiple, when determining whether to invest initially or make additional investment in a project. When investment in development meets our return criteria, we will initiate the development process with subsequent sale of lots to homebuilders or, for commercial tracts, internal development, sale to or venture with commercial developers. We sell land at any point within the value chain when additional time required for entitlement or investment in development will not meet our return criteria. In 2010, we sold over 5,800 acres of undeveloped land through our retail land sales program at an average price of about $3,500 per acre.

A summary of our real estate projects in the entitlement process ^(a) at year-end 2010 follows:

 

 

 

 

Products

 

The majority of our projects are single-family residential and mixed-use communities. In some cases, commercial land uses within a project enhance the desirability of the community by providing convenient locations for resident support services. We sometimes undertake projects consisting exclusively of commercial tracts and, on occasion, we invest in a venture to develop a single commercial project.

 

We develop lots for single-family homes and may develop multifamily properties on our commercial tracts. In addition, we sell commercial tracts that are substantially ready for construction of buildings for retail, office, industrial or other commercial uses. We sell residential lots primarily to national and regional homebuilders and, to a lesser extent, local homebuilders. We have 76 entitled, developed or under development projects in seven states and 11 markets, principally in the major markets of Texas, encompassing over 16,000 remaining acres, comprised of land planned for over 27,000 residential lots and about 2,400 commercial acres. We focus our lot sales on the first and second move-up primary housing categories. First and second move-up segments are homes priced above entry-level products yet below the high-end and custom home segments. We reduced investment in real estate development in 2010 as we focused development on

markets and products which continued to generate sales. We also actively market and sell undeveloped land through our retail sales program.

 

Commercial tracts are developed internally or sold to or ventured with commercial developers that specialize in the construction and operation of income producing properties, such as apartments, retail centers, or office buildings. We sell land designated for commercial use to national retailers and to regional and local commercial developers. We have about 2,400 acres of entitled land designated for commercial use.

 

One of our current significant mixed-use projects is Cibolo Canyons in the San Antonio market area. Cibolo Canyons is a 2,100 acre mixed-use development planned to include approximately 1,400 residential lots, of which 640 have been sold as of year-end 2010 at an average price of $65,000 per lot. The residential component is planned to include not only traditional single-family homes but also an active adult section and condominiums. Our commercial component is planned to include about 220 acres designated for multifamily and retail uses, of which 64 acres have been sold as of year-end 2010. Located at Cibolo Canyons is the JW Marriott^® San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa, a 1,002 room destination resort and two PGA Tour^® Tournament Players Club^® (TPC) golf courses designed by Pete Dye and Greg Norman. The resort hotel began operations on January 22, 2010. We have the right to receive from a legislatively created special purpose improvement district (SPID) 9 percent of hotel occupancy revenues and 1.5 percent of other resort sales revenues collected as taxes by the SPID through 2034 and to reimbursement of certain infrastructure costs related to the mixed-use development.

A summary of activity within our projects in the development process, which includes entitled ^(a), developed and under development real estate projects, at year-end 2010 follows:

 

 

 

A summary of our significant commercial and income producing properties at year-end 2010 follows:

 

 

 

 

Markets

 

Current U.S. market conditions in the single-family residential industry continue to be difficult, characterized by depressed sales volumes and prices, increased foreclosures, high unemployment rates and low consumer confidence. While all markets are being negatively affected by overall poor economic conditions, not all geographic areas and products have been affected to the same extent or with equal severity. These difficult market conditions may continue throughout 2011.

 

We target investments primarily in markets within our strategic growth corridors, which we define as areas possessing favorable growth characteristics for population, employment and household formation. These markets are generally located across the southern half of the U.S., and we believe they represent attractive long-term real estate investment opportunities. Demand for residential lots, single-family housing, and commercial land is substantially influenced by these growth characteristics, as well as by immigration and in-migration. Currently, most of our development projects are located within the major markets of Texas.

 

Our ten strategic growth corridors encompass 165,000 square miles, or approximately 5 percent of the total land area in the U.S. According to 2005 census data, 85 million people, 29 percent of the U.S. total, reside in these corridors. The population density in these growth corridors is almost seven times the national average and is projected to grow at nine times the national average between 2000 and 2030. During that time, the corridors are projected to garner approximately 43 percent of the nation’s population growth and 38 percent of total employment growth. Estimated housing demand from these ten growth corridors from 2000 to 2030 exceeds 23 million new homes.

Forestar Strategic Growth Corridors

 

Our strategy includes not only entitlement and development on our own lands but also growth through strategic and disciplined investment in acquisitions that meet our investment criteria. We continually monitor the markets in our strategic growth corridors for opportunities to purchase developed lots and land at prices that meet our return criteria.

 

 

Competition

 

We face competition for the acquisition, entitlement, development and sale of real estate in our markets. Our major competitors include other landowners who market and sell undeveloped land and numerous national, regional and local developers. In addition, our projects compete with other development projects offering similar amenities, products and/or locations. Competition also exists for investment opportunities, financing, available land, raw materials and labor, with entities that may possess greater financial, marketing and other resources than us. The presence of competition may increase the bargaining power of property owners seeking to sell. These competitive market pressures sometimes make it difficult to acquire, entitle, develop or sell land at prices that meet our return criteria. Some of our real estate competitors are well established and financially strong, may have greater financial resources than we do, or may be larger than us and/or have lower cost of capital and operating costs than we have and expect to have.

 

The land acquisition and development business is highly fragmented, and we are unaware of any meaningful concentration of market share by any one competitor. Enterprises of varying sizes, from individuals or small companies to large corporations, actively engage in the real estate development business. Many competitors are local, privately-owned companies. We have a few regional competitors and virtually no national competitors other than national homebuilders that, depending on business cycles and market

conditions, may enter or exit the real estate development business in some locations to develop lots on which they construct and sell homes. There are very few national homebuilders currently developing lots. During periods when access to capital is restricted, participants with weaker financial conditions tend to be less active. We believe the current environment is one where participants with stronger financial conditions will have a competitive advantage and where fewer participants will be active.

 

Mineral Resources

 

We lease our mineral interests to third parties for the exploration and production of oil and gas, principally in Texas and Louisiana. When we lease our mineral interests, we may negotiate a lease bonus payment and retain a royalty interest and may take an additional participation in production, including a non-operating working interest. Non-operating working interests refer to well interests in which we pay a share of the costs to drill, complete and operate a well and receive a proportionate share of the production revenues. We are not an operator with respect to any of the oil and gas activities on our properties.

 

Our royalty revenues are contractually defined and based on a percentage of production and are received in cash. Our royalty revenues fluctuate based on changes in the market prices for oil and gas, the inevitable decline in production in existing wells, and other factors affecting the third-party oil and gas exploration and production companies including the cost of development and production.

 

Products

 

We own mineral interests on approximately 606,000 net acres principally in Texas, Louisiana, Georgia and Alabama. All our oil and gas mineral interests are located in the United States. Our minerals revenue is primarily from lease bonus payments, delay rentals, oil and gas royalty interests, non-operating working interests and other related activities. We engage in leasing certain portions of these oil and gas mineral interests to third parties for the exploration and production of oil and gas, and we are increasingly leveraging our mineral interests to participate in wells drilled on or near our mineral acreage.

 

Our strategy for maximizing value from our mineral interests is to move acres up the minerals value chain by increasing the net acreage leased, the lease bonus amount per acre and the size of retained royalty interests. Additionally, we may participate in non-operating working interests in the drilling, completion and production of oil and gas on or nearby our mineral interests. The chart below depicts our minerals value chain.

 

 

Of our 606,000 net acres of mineral interests, about 488,000 net acres are available for lease. We have about 118,000 net acres leased for exploration activities, of which about 30,000 net acres are held by production from over 490 oil and gas wells that are owned and operated by others.

Our principal areas of ownership follow:

 

East Texas and Gulf Coast Basins

 

We have about 251,000 net mineral acres in East Texas and about 144,000 net mineral acres in Louisiana located within the East Texas and Gulf Coast Basins. These basins contain numerous oil and gas producing formations consisting of conventional, unconventional, and tight sand reservoirs. Of these reservoirs, we have mineral interests in and around production trends in the Wilcox, Frio, Cockfield, James Lime, Pettet, Travis Peak, Cotton Valley, Austin Chalk, Haynesville Shale, and Bossier formations.

 

Fort Worth Basin

 

We have about 1,000 net mineral acres in the Fort Worth Basin. This basin contains numerous oil and gas producing formations consisting of conventional, unconventional, and tight sand reservoirs. Of these reservoirs, we have mineral interests in and around the Barnett Shale.

 

Alabama & Georgia

 

We have about 40,000 net mineral acres in Alabama and about 168,000 net mineral acres in Georgia. These areas have historically had very little oil and gas exploration activity, although since 2006 there has been activity in the Floyd and Conesuega Shales in and around our mineral interests.

 

A summary of our mineral acres ^(a) at year-end 2010 follows:

 

 

 

 

A summary of our Texas and Louisiana mineral acres ^(a) by county or parish at year-end 2010 follows:

 

 

 

 

Leasing mineral acres for exploration and production creates significant value because we may negotiate a lease bonus payment and retain a royalty interest in all revenues generated by the lessee from oil and gas production. The significant terms of these arrangements include granting the exploration company the rights to oil or gas it may find and requiring that drilling be commenced within a specified period. In return, we may receive an initial payment (bonus), subsequent payments if drilling has not started within the specified period (delay rentals), and a percentage interest in the value of any oil or gas produced (royalties). If no oil or gas is produced during the required period, all rights are returned to us. Our capital requirements are minimal and primarily consist of acquisition costs allocated to mineral interests and administrative costs.

 

Most leases are for a three-year term although a portion or all of a lease may be extended by the lessee as long as actual production is occurring. Financial terms vary based on a number of market factors including the location of the mineral interest, the number of acres subject to the agreement, our mineral interest, proximity to transportation facilities such as pipelines, depth of formations to be drilled and risk. From our retained royalty interests in production sold by third-party exploration and production companies, we received an average net price per barrel of oil of $73.09 in 2010, $56.85 in 2009 and $106.66 in 2008 and per thousand cubic feet of gas of $4.26 in 2010, $4.10 in 2009 and $8.76 in 2008.

 

We have water interests in about 1.6 million acres which includes a 45 percent nonparticipating royalty interest in groundwater produced or withdrawn for commercial purposes or sold from approximately 1.4 million acres in Texas, Louisiana, Georgia and Alabama, and about 17,800 acres of ground water leases in central Texas acquired in 2010. We have not received significant income from these interests.

 

Proved Developed Reserves

 

In December 2009, we adopted revised oil and gas reserve estimation and disclosure requirements to conform to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) “Modernization of Oil and Gas Reporting” rules, which were issued in December 2008. The rules require disclosure of proved reserves using the twelve-month average beginning-of-month price for the year, rather than year-end prices. These same twelve month average prices are also used in calculating the amount of (and changes in) future net cash inflows related to the standardized measure of discounted future net cash flows.

Our net proved developed oil and natural gas reserves as of year-end 2010, 2009 and 2008, all of which are located in the United States, have been estimated by Netherland, Sewell & Associates, Inc. (NSAI) in accordance with the definitions and guidelines of the SEC. This reserve information does not include estimates of reserves and future cash flows associated with proved undeveloped reserves or any potential value related to our over 576,000 undeveloped net mineral acres because we are solely royalty and non-operating working interest owners and as a result we do not determine whether or when undeveloped reserves will be converted to developed reserves. The third-party operators to which we lease our mineral interests do not provide us with their adopted development plans related to our royalty interests.

 

Net quantities of proved developed oil and natural gas reserves, principally located in the East Texas, Gulf Coast and Fort Worth Basins, related to our royalty and non-operating working interests follows:

 

 

We do not have any estimated reserves of synthetic oil, synthetic natural gas or products of other non-renewable natural resources that are intended to be upgraded into synthetic oil and gas.

 

Reserve estimates were based on the economic and operating conditions existing at year-end 2010, 2009 and 2008. For 2010 and 2009, oil prices are based on a twelve month average price of $75.96 and $57.65 per barrel of West Texas Intermediate Crude and natural gas prices are based on a twelve month average price of $4.38 and $3.87 per MMBTU per the Henry Hub spot market. For 2008, oil prices are based on a year-end 2008, West Texas Intermediate posted price of $41.00 per barrel and natural gas prices are based on a year-end 2008, Henry Hub spot market price of $5.71 per MMBTU. All prices were adjusted for quality, transportation fees and regional price differentials. Since the determination and valuation of proved developed reserves is a function of the interpretation of engineering and geologic data and prices for oil and natural gas and the cost to produce these reserves, the reserves presented should be expected to change as future information becomes available. For an estimate of the standardized measure of discounted future net cash flows from proved developed oil and natural gas reserves, see Note 22 — Supplemental Oil and Gas Disclosures (Unaudited) to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

The process of estimating oil and natural gas reserves is complex involving decisions and assumptions in evaluating the available geological, geophysical, engineering and economic data. Accordingly, these estimates are imprecise. Actual future production, oil and natural gas prices, revenues, taxes and quantities of recoverable oil and natural gas reserves might vary from those estimated. Any variance could materially affect the estimated quantities and present value of proved developed reserves. In addition, we may adjust estimates of proved developed reserves to reflect production history, development, prevailing oil and natural gas prices and other factors, many of which are beyond our control.

The primary internal technical person in charge of overseeing our reserves estimates has a Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering and a Masters of Business Administration in Finance and Accounting. He has over 30 years of experience in the exploration and production business as well as experience in gas processing, refining and marketing, coal, geothermal, manufactured utilities and electricity generation.

 

As part of our internal control over financial reporting, we have a process for reviewing well production data and division of interest percentages prior to submitting well level data to NSAI to prepare reserve estimates on our behalf. Prior to inclusion in the Annual Report on Form 10-K, our primary internal technical person and other members of management review the reserve estimates prepared by NSAI, including the underlying assumptions and estimates upon which they are based, for accuracy and reasonableness.

 

Production

 

Oil and natural gas produced and average unit prices related to our royalty and non-operating working interests follows:

 

 

At year-end 2010, production lifting costs, which exclude ad valorem and severance taxes, were $1.29 per Mcfe (thousand cubic feet equivalent) related to six wells in which we have a non-operating working interest. At year-end 2009, production lifting costs were $1.14 per Mcfe related to six wells in which we have a non-operating working interest. In 2008, this information was not available to us.

 

Drilling and Other Exploratory and Development Activities; Present Activities

 

We did not drill any wells or conduct any other exploratory or development activities in 2010, 2009 or 2008, and we are not presently conducting any such activities. In 2010, third-party oil and gas operators to whom we have leased our minerals drilled seven exploratory wells and 16 productive development wells within units where we own mineral interests. In 2009, third-party oil and gas operators to whom we have leased our minerals drilled seven exploratory wells and 24 productive development wells within units where we own mineral interests. At year-end 2010, there were no wells being drilled by third-party oil and gas operators on units where we own an interest; however, there were two wells that were in some stage of the completion process requiring additional activities prior to generating sales.

 

Delivery Commitments

 

We have no oil or natural gas delivery commitments.

Wells and Acreage

 

The number of wells owned and operated by third parties to whom we have leased our minerals, as of year-end 2010, 2009 and 2008, follows:

 

 

 

 

We did not have any wells with production of synthetic oil, synthetic natural gas or products of other non-renewable natural resources that are intended to be upgraded into synthetic oil and gas as of year-end 2010, 2009 or 2008. We do not have any plugging liabilities as a royalty interest owner, and we believe any liability as a non-operating working interest owner is not significant.

 

At year-end 2010, our proved developed acreage includes 30,000 net mineral acres in which we have royalty interests. In addition, we have over 576,000 net undeveloped mineral acres of which 88,000 net acres are leased to third parties for oil and gas exploration and development.

 

Markets

 

Oil and gas revenues are influenced by the prices of these commodities as determined by both regional and global markets. Mineral leasing activity is influenced by the location of our mineral interests relative to existing or projected oil and gas reserves and by the proximity of successful extractive efforts to our mineral interests.

 

Competition

 

In locations where our mineral interests are close to producing wells and proven reserves, other parties will compete to lease our mineral interests. Conversely, where our mineral interests are close to areas where reserves have not been discovered, we may receive nominal interest in leasing our minerals. When oil and natural gas prices are higher, we are likely to receive greater interest in leasing our minerals close to producing areas because the economics will support more exploration and extraction activities. Portions of our Texas and Louisiana minerals are proximate to producing wells and proven reserves.

 

We have little competition from others related to our leasing activities and resulting non-operating working interests. These wells historically have been drilled on or near our owned mineral interests, which allow us to achieve favorable terms from the oil and natural gas operators.

Fiber Resources

 

We sell wood fiber from portions of our land, primarily in Georgia, and lease land for recreational uses.

 

Products

 

We have over 197,000 acres of timber on our lands and about 18,000 acres of timber under lease. In 2010, we sold at market prices, primarily to Temple-Inland, over 537,000 tons of timber from our lands. We manage our timberland in accordance with the Sustainable Forestry Initiative^® program of Sustainable Forestry Initiative, Inc. At year-end 2010, about 198,000 acres of our land, primarily in Georgia, are leased for recreational purposes. Most recreational leases are for a one-year term but may be terminated by us on 30 days’ notice to the lessee. These leases do not inhibit our ability to harvest timber.

 

Fiber sales volumes and recreational leasing has decreased due to the sale of over 140,000 acres of timberland in 2010 and 2009.

 

Information about our principal timber products follows:

 

 

Information about our recreational leases follows:

 

 

Markets

 

We have an agreement to sell wood fiber to Temple-Inland at market prices, primarily for use at Temple-Inland’s Rome, Georgia mill complex. The agreement expires in 2013 although the purchase and sale commitments are established annually based on our annual harvest plan. Base prices are determined by independent sources and are indexed to third-party sources. Payment for timber is advanced to us by Temple-Inland on a quarterly basis. It is likely that Temple-Inland will continue to be our largest wood fiber customer. We also sell wood fiber to other parties at market prices.

 

Competition

 

We face significant competition from other landowners for the sale of our wood fiber. Some of these competitors own similar timber assets that are located in the same or nearby markets. However, due to its weight, the cost for transporting wood fiber long distances is significant, resulting in a competitive advantage for timber that is located reasonably close to paper and building products manufacturing facilities. A significant portion of our wood fiber is reasonably close to such facilities so we expect continued demand for our wood fiber.

 

Employees

 

We have 92 employees. None of our employees participate in collective bargaining arrangements. We believe we have a good relationship with our employees.

Environmental Regulations

 

Our operations are subject to federal, state and local laws, regulations and ordinances relating to protection of public health and the environment. These changes may adversely affect our ability to harvest and sell timber, develop minerals, remediate contaminated properties or develop real estate. These laws and regulations may relate to, among other things, the protection of timberlands, endangered species, timber harvesting practices, protection and restoration of natural resources, air and water quality, and remedial standards for contaminated property and groundwater. Additionally, these laws may impose liability on property owners or operators for the costs of removal or remediation of hazardous or toxic substances on real property, without regard to whether the owner or operator knew, or was responsible for, the presence of the hazardous or toxic substances. The presence of, or the failure to properly remediate, such substances may adversely affect the value of a property, as well as our ability to sell the property or to borrow funds using that property as collateral or the ability to produce oil and gas from that property. Environmental claims generally would not be covered by our insurance programs.

 

The particular environmental laws that apply to any given real estate development site vary according to the site’s location, its environmental condition, and the present and former uses of the site and adjoining properties. Environmental laws and conditions may result in delays, may cause us to incur substantial compliance or other costs and can prohibit or severely restrict development activity or mineral production in environmentally sensitive regions or areas, which could negatively affect our results of operations.

 

We own approximately 288 acres in several parcels in or near Antioch, California, portions of which were sites of a Temple-Inland paper manufacturing operation that are in remediation. The remediation is being conducted voluntarily with oversight by the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, or DTSC. The DTSC issued Certificates of Completion for approximately 180 acres in 2006. We estimate the remaining cost to complete remediation activities will be about $2.5 million.

 

Oil and natural gas operations are subject to numerous federal, state and local laws and regulations controlling the generation, use, storage and discharge of materials into the environment or otherwise relating to the protection of the environment. We participate in wells as a royalty interest owner, and also as a non-operating working interest owner in six wells. We are not an operator with respect to any of the oil and natural gas activities on our properties. Well operators are responsible for compliance with oil and natural gas laws and regulations, which include requiring the operator of oil and natural gas properties to possess permits for the drilling and development of wells, post bonds in connection with various types of activities, and file reports concerning operations.

 

On December 15, 2009, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized its “Endangerment Finding,” an official finding that emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) present an endangerment to human health and the environment because emissions of such gases are, according to EPA, contributing to warming of the Earth’s atmosphere and other climatic changes. On November 30, 2010, the EPA issued a final rule requiring reporting of GHG emissions from the oil and gas industry. The adoption and implementation of any regulations imposing reporting obligations on, or limiting emissions of GHGs from, oil and gas operations could increase costs or could adversely affect demand for the oil and gas produced from our lands. In addition, although various climate change legislative measures have been under consideration by the U.S. Congress, it is not possible at this time to predict whether or when Congress may act on climate change legislation.

Legal Structure

 

Forestar Group Inc. is a Delaware corporation. The following chart presents the ownership structure for our significant subsidiaries and ventures. It does not contain all our subsidiaries and ventures, some of which are immaterial entities. Except as indicated, all subsidiaries shown are 100 percent owned by their immediate parent.

 

 

Our principal executive offices are located at 6300 Bee Cave Road, Building Two, Suite 500, Austin, Texas 78746-5149. Our telephone number is (512) 433-5200.

 

Available Information

 

From our Internet website, http://www.forestargroup.com, you may obtain additional information about us including:

 

 

 

We will also provide printed copies of any of these documents to any shareholder free of charge upon request. In addition, the materials we file with the SEC may be read and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, DC 20549. Information about the operation of the Public Reference Room is available by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC also maintains an Internet site (http://www.sec.gov) that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information that is filed electronically with the SEC.

Financial Information

 

Our results of operations, including information regarding our principal business segments, are shown in the Consolidated Financial Statements and the notes thereto beginning on page F-1 to this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

Executive Officers

 

The names, ages and titles of our executive officers are:

 

 

James M. DeCosmo has served as our President and Chief Executive Officer since 2006. He served as Group Vice President of Temple-Inland from 2005 to 2007, as Vice President, Forest from 2000 to 2005 and as Director of Forest Management from 1999 to 2000. Prior to joining Temple-Inland, he held various land management positions throughout the southeastern United States.

 

Christopher L. Nines has served as our Chief Financial Officer since 2007. He served as Temple-Inland’s Director of Investor Relations from 2003 to 2007 and as Corporate Finance Director from 2001 to 2003. He was Senior Vice President of Finance for ConnectSouth Communications, Inc. from 2000 to 2001.

 

Craig A. Knight has served as our Chief Real Estate Officer since 2006. From 1994 to 2006, he served as President of Lumbermen’s Investment Corporation, which changed its name in 2006 to Forestar (USA) Real Estate Group Inc. Mr. Knight was a principal in the real estate development firm of Heath and Knight Properties from 1991 to 1994 and was a partner with Centre Development from 1978 to 1994.

 

Flavious J. Smith, Jr. has served as our Executive Vice President since 2008. He served as Division Land Manager for EOG Resources, Inc. from 2005 to 2008. He owned and operated Flavious Smith Petroleum Properties, an independent oil and gas operator, from 1989 to 2005, and previously held various leadership positions with several oil and gas and energy-related companies.

 

Phillip J. Weber has served as our Executive Vice President since October 2009. He served the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) as Senior Vice President — Multifamily from 2006 to October 2009, as Chief of Staff to the CEO from 2004 to 2006, and in other management roles prior to 2004.

 

Charles T. Etheredge, Jr. has served as our Executive Vice President since 2006. He was a member of Guaranty Bank’s commercial real estate lending segment from 1992 to 2006, where he served as Senior Vice President and Managing Director for the Eastern Region from 1999 to 2006 and as Vice President and Division Manager from 1997 to 1999.

 

David M. Grimm has served as our Chief Administrative Officer since 2007, in addition to holding the offices of General Counsel and Secretary since 2006. Mr. Grimm served Temple-Inland as Group General Counsel from 2005 to 2006, Associate General Counsel from 2003 to 2005, and held various other legal positions from 1992 to 2003. Prior to joining Temple-Inland, Mr. Grimm was an attorney in private practice in Dallas, Texas.

 

Charles D. Jehl has served as our Chief Accounting Officer since 2006. He served as Chief Operations Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Guaranty Insurance Services, Inc. from 2005 to 2006 and as Senior Vice President and Controller from 2000 to 2005. From 1989 to 1999, Mr. Jehl held various financial management positions within Temple-Inland’s financial services segment.

 

Risks Related to our Real Estate Operations

 

A continued decrease in demand for new housing in the markets where we operate could decrease our profitability.

 

The residential development industry is cyclical and is significantly affected by changes in general and local economic conditions, such as employment levels, availability of financing for home buyers, interest rates, consumer confidence and housing demand. Adverse changes in these conditions generally, or in the markets where we operate, could decrease demand for lots for new homes in these areas. The current market conditions include a general over-supply of housing, decreased sales volumes for both new and existing homes, and flat or declining home prices. There also has been significant tightening of mortgage credit standards, decreasing the availability of mortgage loans to acquire new and existing homes. A further decline in housing demand could negatively affect our real estate development activities, which could result in a decrease in our revenues and earnings.

 

Furthermore, the market value of undeveloped land and lots held by us can fluctuate significantly as a result of changing economic and real estate market conditions. If there are significant adverse changes in economic or real estate market conditions, we may have to hold land in inventory longer than planned. Inventory carrying costs can be significant and can result in losses or lower returns.

 

Development of real estate entails a lengthy, uncertain, and costly entitlement process.

 

Approval to develop real property entails an extensive entitlement process involving multiple and overlapping regulatory jurisdictions and often requiring discretionary action by local governments. This process is often political, uncertain and may require significant exactions in order to secure approvals. Real estate projects must generally comply with local land development regulations and may need to comply with state and federal regulations. The process to comply with these regulations is usually lengthy and costly, may not result in the approvals we seek, and can be expected to materially affect our real estate development activities.

 

Our real estate development operations are currently concentrated in the major markets of Texas, and a significant portion of our undeveloped land holdings are concentrated in Georgia. As a result, our financial results are dependent on the economic growth and strength of those areas.

 

The economic growth and strength of Texas, where the majority of our real estate development activity is located, are important factors in sustaining demand for our real estate development activities. As a result, any adverse change to the economic growth and health of those areas could materially adversely affect our financial results. The future economic growth in certain portions of Georgia in particular may be adversely affected if its infrastructure, such as roads, utilities, and schools, are not improved to meet increased demand. There can be no assurance that these improvements will occur.

 

Our real estate development operations are highly dependent upon national, regional, and local homebuilders, as well as other strategic partners, who may have interests that differ from ours and may take actions that adversely affect us.

 

We are highly dependent upon our relationships with national, regional, and local homebuilders to purchase lots in our residential developments. If homebuilders do not view our developments as desirable locations for homebuilding operations, our business will be adversely affected. Also, a national homebuilder could decide to delay purchases of lots in one of our developments due to adverse real estate conditions wholly unrelated to our areas of operations.

 

We are also involved in strategic alliances or venture relationships as part of our overall strategy for particular developments or regions. These venture partners may bring development experience, industry expertise, financing capabilities, and local credibility or other competitive attributes. Strategic partners, however, may have economic or business interests or goals that are inconsistent with ours or that are

influenced by factors unrelated to our business. We may also be subject to adverse business consequences if the market reputation or financial condition of a strategic partner deteriorates.

 

A formal agreement with a venture partner may also involve special risks, such as: we may not have voting control over the venture; the venture partner may take actions contrary to our instructions or requests, or contrary to our policies or objectives with respect to the real estate investments; the venture partner could experience financial difficulties; and actions by a venture partner may subject property owned by the venture to liabilities greater than those contemplated by the venture agreement or have other adverse consequences.

 

Our customers may be unwilling or unable to meet lot takedown commitments due to liquidity limitations or slowing market conditions.

 

We enter into contracts to sell lots to builders. Home mortgage credit standards have tightened substantially and many markets have excess housing inventory so fewer new houses are being constructed and sold. Some builders are experiencing liquidity shortfalls and may be unwilling or unable to close on previously committed lot purchases. As a result, we may sell fewer lots and may have lower sales revenues, which could have an adverse effect on our financial position and results of operations.

 

Our partners’ inability to fund their capital commitments and otherwise fulfill their operating and financial obligations related to a venture could have an adverse effect on the venture and us.

 

When we enter into a venture, we may rely on our venture partner to fund its share of capital commitments to the venture and to otherwise fulfill its operating and financial obligations. Failure of a venture partner to timely satisfy its funding or other obligations to the venture could require us to elect whether to increase our financial or other operating support of the venture in order to preserve our investment, which may reduce our returns or cause us to incur losses, or to not fund such obligations, which may subject the venture and us to adverse consequences.

 

Delays or failures by third parties to take expected actions could reduce our returns or cause us to incur losses on certain real estate development projects.

 

We rely on governmental utility and special improvement districts to issue bonds as a revenue source for the districts to reimburse us for qualified expenses, such as road and utility infrastructure costs. Bonds must be supported by districts tax revenues, usually from ad valorem taxes. Slowing new home sales, decreasing real estate prices or difficult credit markets for bond sales can reduce or delay district bond sale revenues, causing such districts to delay reimbursement of our qualified expenses. Failure to receive timely reimbursement for qualified expenses could reduce our returns or cause us to incur losses on certain real estate development projects.

 

We are unable to control the approval or timing of reimbursements or other payments from the special public improvement district (SPID) in which our Cibolo Canyons project is located. Delays or failure by the SPID to approve infrastructure costs for reimbursement or to issue bonds could negatively impact the timing of our future cash flows.

 

The SPID in which our Cibolo Canyons project is located is an independent governmental entity not affiliated with us. The SPID has an elected governing board comprised of members living within the district, none of whom are affiliated with us. Reimbursement of our infrastructure costs, and timing of payment, is subject to approval and determination by the SPID. The SPID is also obligated to pay to us certain amounts generated from hotel occupancy revenues and other resort sales revenues collected as taxes by the SPID within the district. The amount of revenues collected by the SPID will be impacted by hotel occupancy and resort sales, each of which could be lower than projected. The timing of these payments will be impacted by decisions made by the SPID in regard to whether and when to issue bonds that would generate funds to support payments to us. Decisions by the SPID to delay approval of reimbursements or issuance of bonds could negatively impact the timing of our future cash flows.

Risks Related to our Mineral Resources Operations

 

We have limited control over the activities on properties we do not operate.

 

The properties in which we have an interest are operated by other companies and involve third-party working interest owners. As a result, we have limited ability to influence or control the operation or future development of such properties, including compliance with environmental, safety and other regulations, or the amount of capital expenditures that we will be required to fund with respect to such properties. Moreover, we are dependent on the other working interest owners of such projects to fund their contractual share of the capital expenditures of such projects. These limitations and our dependence on the operator and other working interest owners for these projects could cause us to incur unexpected future costs and materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

 

In addition, operators determine when and where to drill wells and we have no influence over these decisions. New wells may not be productive or may not produce at a level to enable us to recover all or any portion of our capital investment where we have a non-operating working interest.

 

Volatile oil and natural gas prices could adversely affect our cash flows and results of operations.

 

Our cash flows and results of operations are dependent in part on oil and natural gas prices, which are volatile. Any substantial or extended decline in the price of oil and natural gas could have a negative impact on our business operations and future revenues. Moreover, oil and natural gas prices depend on factors we cannot control, such as: changes in foreign and domestic supply and demand for oil and natural gas; actions by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries; weather; political conditions in other oil-producing countries, including the possibility of insurgency or war in such areas; prices of foreign exports; domestic and international drilling activity; price and availability of alternate fuel sources; the value of the U.S. dollar relative to other major currencies; the level and effect of trading in commodity markets, the effect of worldwide energy conservation measures, and governmental regulations.

 

The ability to sell and deliver oil and natural gas produced from wells on our mineral interests could be materially and adversely affected if adequate gathering, processing, compression and transportation services are not obtained.

 

The sale of oil and natural gas produced from wells on our mineral interests depends on a number of factors beyond our control, including the availability, proximity and capacity of, and costs associated with, gathering, processing, compression and transportation facilities owned by third parties. These facilities may be temporarily unavailable due to market conditions, mechanical reasons or other factors or conditions, and may not be available to us in the future on terms we consider acceptable, if at all. Any significant change in market or other conditions affecting these facilities or the availability of these facilities, including due to our failure or inability to obtain access to these facilities on terms acceptable to us or at all, could materially and adversely affect our business and, in turn, our financial condition and results of operations.

 

Our reserves and production will decline from their current levels.

 

The rate of production from oil and natural gas properties generally declines as reserves are produced. Our reserves will decline as they are produced which could materially and adversely affect our future cash flow and results of operations.

 

A portion of our oil and natural gas production may be subject to interruptions that could have a material and adverse effect on us.

 

A portion of oil and natural gas production from our minerals may be interrupted, or shut in, from time to time for various reasons, including as a result of accidents, weather conditions, loss of gathering, processing, compression or transportation facility access or field labor issues, or intentionally as a result of market conditions such as oil and natural gas prices that we deem uneconomic. If a substantial amount of

production is interrupted, our cash flow and, in turn, our results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

 

We may acquire properties that are not as commercially productive as we initially believed.

 

From time to time, we may seek to acquire oil and gas properties. Although we perform reviews of properties to be acquired in a manner that we believe is consistent with industry practices, reviews of records and properties may not necessarily reveal existing or potential problems, nor may they permit a buyer to become sufficiently familiar with the properties in order to assess fully their deficiencies and potential. Even when problems with a property are identified, we may assume environmental and other risks and liabilities in connection with acquired properties pursuant to the acquisition agreements. Moreover, there are numerous uncertainties inherent in estimating quantities of oil and gas reserves, actual future production rates and associated costs with respect to acquired properties. Actual reserves, production rates and costs may vary substantially from those assumed in our estimates.

 

Weather and climate may have a significant and adverse impact on us.

 

Demand for natural gas is, to a significant degree, dependent on weather and climate, which impacts, among other things, the price we receive for the commodities produced from wells on our mineral interests and, in turn, our cash flow and results of operations. For example, relatively warm temperatures during a winter season generally result in relatively lower demand for natural gas (as less natural gas is used to heat residences and businesses) and, as a result, relatively lower prices for natural gas production.

 

We do not insure against all potential losses and could be materially and adversely affected by unexpected liabilities.

 

The exploration for, and production of, oil and natural gas can be hazardous, involving natural disasters and other unforeseen occurrences such as blowouts, cratering, fires and loss of well control, which can damage or destroy wells or production facilities, result in injury or death, and damage property and the environment. We maintain insurance against many, but not all, potential losses or liabilities arising from operations on our property in accordance with what we believe are customary industry practices and in amounts and at costs that we believe to be prudent and commercially practicable. In addition, we require third party operators to maintain customary and commercially practicable types and limits of insurance, but potential losses or liabilities may not be covered by such third party’s insurance which may subject us to liability as the mineral estate owner. The occurrence of any of these events and any costs or liabilities incurred as a result of such events could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Our estimated proved reserves are based on many assumptions that may prove to be inaccurate. Any material inaccuracies in these reserve estimates or underlying assumptions will materially affect the quantities and present value of our reserves.

 

The process of estimating oil and natural gas reserves is complex involving decisions and assumptions in evaluating the available geological, geophysical, engineering and economic data. Accordingly, these estimates are imprecise. Actual future production, oil and natural gas prices, revenues, taxes and quantities of recoverable oil and natural gas reserves might vary from those estimated. Any variance could materially affect the estimated quantities and present value of proved developed reserves. In addition, we may adjust estimates of proved reserves to reflect production history, development, prevailing oil and natural gas prices and other factors, many of which are beyond our control.

 

Changes in environmental or other regulations for extraction of oil or natural gas could reduce our mineral resource revenues.

 

An increasing amount of our mineral resources revenue is dependent on newer technologies for extraction of oil or natural gas, specifically hydraulic fracturing. Changes in environmental or other regulations governing

hydraulic fracturing could substantially increase the cost or risk associated with extracting oil or natural gas from our mineral interests, resulting in lower production from our minerals or reduced demand for leasing our minerals. Such changes could result in reduced mineral resources revenues.

 

Additionally, the U.S. Federal government is currently considering regulations to require the disclosure of chemicals used by the oil and natural gas industry in the hydraulic fracturing process. It has been asserted that chemicals used in the fracturing process could adversely affect drinking water supplies. Such regulations would require the reporting and public disclosure of chemicals used in the fracturing process and could lead to operational restrictions and delays and increased operating costs.

 

The standardized measure of future net cash flows from our proved reserves is not necessarily the same as the current market value of our estimated reserves. Any material inaccuracies in reserve estimates or underlying assumptions will materially affect the quantities and present value of our reserves.

 

As required by SEC regulations, we base the estimated discounted future net cash flows from our proved reserves on prices and costs in effect at the time of the estimate. However, actual future net cash flows from our properties will be affected by numerous factors not subject to our control.

 

The timing of production will affect the timing of actual future net cash flows from proved reserves, and thus their actual present value. In addition, the 10% discount factor we use when calculating discounted future net cash flow, which is required by the SEC, may not be the most appropriate discount factor based on interest rates in effect from time to time and risks associated with us or the oil and natural gas industry in general. Any material inaccuracies in our reserve estimates or underlying assumptions will materially affect the quantities and present value of our reserves.

 

A significant portion of our Louisiana net mineral acres are subject to prescription under Louisiana law.

 

A significant portion of our Louisiana net mineral acres were severed from the surface estate shortly before our spin-off. Under Louisiana law, any portions of the mineral estate that are not producing minerals upon the tenth anniversary of severance from the surface estate will revert back to the surface estate owner. Upon such a reversion, we will no longer own such portions of the mineral estate and will no longer have the right to lease, explore or produce from such portions of the mineral estate.

 

Our water interests may require governmental permits, the consent of third parties and/or completion of significant transportation infrastructure prior to commercialization, all of which are dependent on the actions of others.

 

Many jurisdictions require governmental permits to withdraw and transport water for commercial uses, the granting of which may be subject to discretionary determinations by such jurisdictions regarding necessity. In addition, we do not own the executory rights related to our non-participating royalty interest, and as a result, third-party consent from the executor rights owner(s) would be required prior to production. The process to obtain permits can be lengthy, and governmental jurisdictions or third parties from whom we seek permits or consent may not provide the approvals we seek. We may be unable to secure a buyer at commercially economic prices for water that we have a right to extract and transport, and transportation infrastructure across property not owned or controlled by us is required for transport of water prior to commercial use. Such infrastructure can require significant capital and may also require the consent of third parties. We may not have cost effective means to transport water from property we own, lease or manage to buyers. As a result, we may lose some or all of our investment in water assets, or our returns may be diminished.

 

General Risks Related to our Operations

 

Both our real estate and mineral resources businesses are cyclical in nature.

 

The operating results of our business segments reflect the general cyclical pattern of each segment. While the cycles of each industry do not necessarily coincide, demand and prices in each may drop substantially in

an economic downturn. Real estate development of residential lots is further influenced by new home construction activity. Mineral resources may be further influenced by national and international commodity prices, principally for oil and natural gas. Cyclical downturns may materially and adversely affect our results of operations.

 

The real estate and mineral resource industries are highly competitive and a number of entities with which we compete are larger and have greater resources, and competitive conditions may adversely affect our results of operations.

 

The real estate and mineral resource industries in which we operate are highly competitive and are affected to varying degrees by supply and demand factors and economic conditions, including changes in interest rates, new housing starts, home repair and remodeling activities, credit availability, housing affordability and federal energy policies. No single company is dominant in any of our industries. The competitive conditions in the real estate industry may result in difficulties acquiring suitable land at acceptable prices, lower sales volumes and prices, increased development costs, and delays in construction.

 

We compete with numerous regional and local developers for the acquisition, entitlement, and development of land suitable for development. We also compete with some of our national and regional home builder customers who develop real estate for their own use in homebuilding operations, many of which are larger and have greater resources, including greater marketing and technology budgets. Any improvement in the cost structure or service of our competitors will increase the competition we face.

 

Our business and results of operations may be negatively affected by the existence of these conditions.

 

Our activities are subject to environmental regulations and liabilities that could have a negative effect on our operating results.

 

Our operations are subject to federal, state, and local laws and regulations related to the protection of the environment. Compliance with these provisions may result in delays, may cause us to invest substantial funds to ensure compliance with applicable environmental regulations and can prohibit or severely restrict timber harvesting, real estate development or mineral production activity in environmentally sensitive regions or areas.

 

Significant reductions in cash flow from slowing real estate, mineral resources or fiber resources market conditions could lead to higher levels of indebtedness, limiting our financial and operating flexibility.

 

We must comply with various covenants contained in our senior credit facility, and any other future debt arrangements. Significant reductions in cash flow from slowing real estate, mineral resources or fiber resources market conditions could lead to higher levels of indebtedness, limiting our financial and operating flexibility, and ultimately limiting our ability to comply with our debt covenants. If we fail to comply with the terms of any of our debt covenants, our lenders will have the right to accelerate the maturity of that debt and foreclose upon the collateral securing that debt. Realization of any of these factors could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

 

Debt within some of our ventures may not be renewed or may be difficult or more expensive to replace.

 

Some of our ventures have debt, a substantial portion of which is non-recourse to us. Many lenders have substantially curtailed or ceased making real estate acquisition and development loans. When debt within our ventures matures, some of our ventures may be unable to renew existing loans or secure replacement financing, or replacement financing may be more expensive. If our ventures are unable to renew existing loans or secure replacement financing, we may be required to contribute additional equity to our ventures which could increase our risk or increase our borrowings under our senior credit facility, or both. If our ventures secure replacement financing that is more expensive, our profits may be reduced.

If the spin-off is determined to be taxable for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we could incur significant U.S. federal income tax liabilities.

 

Temple-Inland has received a private letter ruling from the Internal Revenue Service, or IRS, that the spin-off qualifies for tax-free treatment under applicable sections of the Code. In addition, Temple-Inland has received an opinion from tax counsel that the spin-off so qualifies. The IRS ruling and the opinion rely on certain representations, assumptions, and undertakings, including those relating to the past and future conduct of our business, and neither the IRS ruling nor the opinion would be valid if such representations, assumptions, and undertakings were incorrect. Notwithstanding the IRS private letter ruling and opinion, the IRS could determine that the spin-off should be treated as a taxable transaction if it determines that any of the representations, assumptions, or undertakings that were included in the request for the private letter ruling are false or have been violated or if it disagrees with the conclusions in the opinion that are not covered by the IRS ruling. If the spin-off fails to qualify for tax-free treatment, under a tax matters agreement between Temple-Inland and us, we may be required to indemnify Temple-Inland against any tax resulting from the distribution to the extent that such tax resulted from any of our representations or undertakings being incorrect or violated. If we are required to indemnify Temple-Inland or such other persons under the circumstances set forth in the tax matters agreement, we may be subject to substantial liabilities.

 

 

None.

 

 

Our principal executive offices are located in Austin, Texas, where we lease approximately 32,000 square feet of office space from Palisades West, LLC, a venture in which we own a 25 percent interest. We also lease office space in Dallas, Texas; Fort Worth, Texas; Lufkin, Texas; and Atlanta, Georgia. We believe these offices are suitable for conducting our business.

 

For a description of our properties in our real estate, mineral resources and fiber resources segments, see “Business — Real Estate”, “Business — Mineral Resources” and “Business — Fiber Resources”, respectively, in Part I, Item 1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

 

We are involved directly or through ventures in various legal proceedings that arise from time to time in the ordinary course of doing business. We believe we have established adequate reserves for any probable losses and that the outcome of any of the proceedings should not have a material adverse effect on our financial position or long-term results of operations or cash flows. It is possible, however, that charges related to these matters could be significant to results of operations or cash flow in any single accounting period.

 

 

 

Market Information

 

Our common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange. The high and low sales prices in each quarter in 2010 and 2009 were:

 

 

Shareholders

 

Our stock transfer records indicated that as of February 25, 2011, there were approximately 3,969 holders of record of our common stock.

 

Dividend Policy

 

We currently intend to retain any future earnings to support our business and do not anticipate paying cash dividends in the foreseeable future. The declaration and payment of any future dividends will be at the discretion of our Board of Directors after taking into account various factors, including without limitation, our financial condition, earnings, capital requirements of our business, the terms of any credit agreements to which we may be a party at the time, legal requirements, industry practice, and other factors that our Board of Directors deems relevant.

 

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities⁽¹⁾

 

 

 

 

Performance Graph

 

We composed an index of our peers consisting of Avatar Holdings Inc., Consolidated-Tomoka Land Co., Tejon Ranch Co. and The St. Joe Company (Peer Index). Our cumulative total shareholder return following our spin-off compared to the Russell 2000 Index and to the Peer Index was as shown in the following graph (assuming $100 invested on January 1, 2008):

 

 

Pursuant to SEC rules, returns of each of the companies in the Peer Index are weighted according to the respective company’s stock market capitalization at the beginning of each period for which a return is indicated.

 

 

 

 

 

Forward-Looking Statements

 

This Annual Report on Form 10-K and other materials we have filed or may file with the Securities and Exchange Commission contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as “believe,” “anticipate,” “could,” “estimate,” “likely,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “expect,” and similar expressions, including references to assumptions. These statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and are subject to risk and uncertainties. We note that a variety of factors and uncertainties could cause our actual results to differ significantly from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors and uncertainties that might cause such differences include, but are not limited to:

 

 

Other factors, including the risk factors described in Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, may also cause actual results to differ materially from those projected by our forward-looking statements. New factors emerge from time to time and it is not possible for us to predict all such factors, nor can we assess the impact of any such factor on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement.

Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and, except as required by law, we expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to disseminate any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

 

Background

 

On December 28, 2007, Temple-Inland distributed all of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock to its stockholders in a transaction commonly referred to as a spin-off.

 

Strategy

 

Our strategy is:

 

 

In 2009, we announced our near-term strategic initiatives to enhance shareholder value by: generating significant cash flow, principally from the sale of about 175,000 acres of higher and better use timberland; reducing debt by approximately $150,000,000; and repurchasing up to 20 percent of our common stock.

 

In 2009, we sold about 95,000 acres of timber and timberland in Georgia and Alabama for $158,603,000 in two transactions generating combined net proceeds of $153,851,000, which were principally used to reduce debt and pay taxes. These transactions resulted in a combined gain on sale of assets of $104,047,000.

 

In 2010, we sold about 24,000 acres of timber and timberland in Georgia, Alabama and Texas for $38,778,000 in seven transactions generating combined net proceeds of $38,040,000, which were principally used to reinvest in qualifying real estate under Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 1031. These transactions resulted in a combined gain on sale of assets of $28,607,000. In addition, in third quarter 2010, we repurchased 1,000,987 shares of our common stock at a cost of $15,178,000.

 

At year-end 2010, assets held for sale under these strategic initiatives includes about 55,000 acres of undeveloped land with a carrying value of $14,513,000 and related timber with a carrying value of $6,609,000. Though we continue to actively market this land, market conditions for timberland have deteriorated since second quarter 2009 principally due to increased investor return requirements, limited availability of financing and alternate investment options for buyers in the marketplace. We are a disciplined seller, and as a result, additional time will be required to complete the sale of these assets.

Results of Operations for the Years Ended 2010, 2009 and 2008

 

A summary of our consolidated results follows:

 

 

Significant aspects of our results of operations follow:

 

2010

 

 

 

2009

 

 

2008

 

 

Current Market Conditions

 

Current U.S. market conditions in the single-family residential industry continue to be difficult, characterized by depressed sales volumes and prices, increased foreclosures, high unemployment rates and low consumer confidence. While all markets are being negatively affected by overall poor economic conditions, not all geographic areas and products have been affected to the same extent or with equal severity. These difficult market conditions may continue throughout 2011.

Oil prices have increased partially due to tightening of international supply and anticipation that future demand will outpace supply growth as global economic activity improves. Natural gas prices have remained depressed as production remains strong and U.S. domestic demand is lower resulting in increased inventory levels. In our areas of operations, exploration and production companies remain focused on reducing capital expenditures for lease acquisition due to lower natural gas prices and drilling activity to hold existing leases. These conditions may impact the demand for new mineral leases, new exploration activity and the amount of royalty revenues we receive.

 

Pulpwood demand is relatively stable in our markets. Sawtimber prices remain depressed due to decreased demand for lumber as a result of lower new home construction activity.

 

Business Segments

 

We manage our operations through three business segments:

 

 

We evaluate performance based on earnings before unallocated items and income taxes. Segment earnings (loss) consist of operating income, equity in earnings (loss) of unconsolidated ventures and net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests. Unallocated items consist of general and administrative expenses, share-based compensation, gain on sale of assets, interest expense and other non-operating income and expense. The accounting policies of the segments are the same as those described in the accounting policy note to the consolidated financial statements.

 

We operate in cyclical industries. Our operations are affected to varying degrees by supply and demand factors and economic conditions including changes in interest rates, availability of mortgage credit, consumer and home builder sentiment, new housing starts, real estate values, employment levels, changes in the market prices for oil, natural gas, and timber, and the overall strength or weakness of the U.S. economy.

 

Real Estate

 

We own directly or through ventures over 220,000 acres of real estate located in nine states and 12 markets. Our real estate segment secures entitlements and develops infrastructure on our lands, primarily for single-family residential and mixed-use communities. We own about 167,000 acres in a broad area around Atlanta, Georgia, with the balance located primarily in Texas. We target investments principally in our strategic growth corridors, regions across the southern half of the United States that possess key demographic and growth characteristics that we believe make them attractive for long-term real estate investment. We own and manage our projects either directly or through ventures. Our real estate segment revenues are principally derived from the sales of residential single-family lots, undeveloped land and commercial real estate and to a lesser degree from the operation of income producing properties, primarily a hotel and a multifamily property.

 

In addition, on December 29, 2010, we acquired a 401 unit, Class A multifamily property in Houston, Texas for $49,100,000. Results of operations for this acquisition, included in income producing properties, were not significant in 2010. Pro forma real estate segment earnings assuming this acquisition occurred at the beginning of 2009 would not be significantly different than those reported.

A summary of our real estate results follows: