About Silvalue
Experience becomes
independent advice.
I am Gottfried Kenda, graduate engineer in forest sciences and founder of Silvalue. My professional experience ranges from forest valuation and forest management planning in Austria to managing large forestry enterprises, harvest planning and forestry consulting in New Zealand.
Today I use this knowledge to advise forest owners independently and to give them a comprehensible basis for decisions that are economically and silviculturally sound.
01 / Why
Why this advice exists
The name says what it is about: Silva for the forest, Value for its value, Silvalue for you. Silvalue is an independent forestry consultancy for forest owners and forestry enterprises who need an assessment they can rely on.
Independent means: we earn from advice, not from sales. No stake in purchases or sales, no brokerage commissions, no ties to contractors.
In twenty years of forestry I have seen how often forest owners pay too much without noticing. The cause is rarely deliberate misconduct. More often it is roles that are not cleanly separated: when advice, execution and control are economically linked. When recommendations are not wrong, but not the best solution for the owner either.
This became especially clear in New Zealand. Forestry there is more industrialised and the consulting landscape is closely interwoven – many consultants work permanently for the same management companies that also give them their assignments. For owners who do not see their land regularly, that is a considerable risk.
Silvalue grew out of this observation: as a consultancy that is economically independent and works consistently from the owner’s perspective.
One focus of this work is forest valuation: the question of what a forest is actually worth – for a sale, a handover, insurance or as security towards a bank.
Core promise
“We earn from advice, not from sales.”
02 / Background
Forestry from the ground up
- HBLA for Forestry Bruck/Mur
- Bachelor’s degree in forestry
- Master’s degree in forest sciences
University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU) - State examination for the senior forestry service
- NZ Diploma in Business & Project Management
- ASFINAG, Property and Service Areas Dept.
- Self-employed in:
forest Enterprise support, hunting, forest valuation, forest management planning, forest tax assessment (Einheitsbewertung), property inspections - Province of Lower Austria, Forestry Dept.: forest funding schemes, GIS and Official expert for forest valuation, hunting & fisheries
- Southern North Island Forest Manager
approx. 37,000 ha under management - Harvest & Roading Engineer
for approx. 24,000 ha - Engineering & Harvest Manager
approx. 400,000 m³ annual harvest
- Silvalue Consulting & Auditing
Independent advice for international owners
Forest valuation
Management support for forestry enterprises
Geographic information systems - Since 2026 also in Austria
03 / Perspective
What I brought back from New Zealand
In New Zealand forestry, forest is consistently regarded as a long-term capital investment. Every measure is judged by what it yields over the whole rotation. Besides timber yield, CO₂ storage is also considered important as an asset that can be valued.
The work was accordingly data- and process-oriented. Forest stands and completed measures were recorded with modern tools and continuously monitored. Interventions, harvesting and investments were planned using stand data, key figures and comparative calculations. This made it possible to assess different options economically before a decision was made.
Standardised quality controls and a systematic approach to risk were part of everyday work. Clear requirements, responsibilities and instructions ensured that decisions remained comprehensible and their implementation verifiable. This combination of forestry experience, reliable data and clear processes also shapes Silvalue’s advice today.
04 / Qualifications