Guanacaste Native Species Agroforestry Project - Seeds and Lumber

In November of 2017 I attended the 1st Symposium of Native Forestry Species in Costa Rica, held at the Horizontes Experimental Station within the Guanacaste Conservation Area - a division of national parks that investigates forestry practices. Despite the success of reforestation throughout the country since the 80's, reversing deforestation to increasing forest cover, the country's timber industry did not keep pace with demand. Construction grade timber is now largely imported pine from Chile, and the two dominant timber species that are commercially produced are the "exotics" teak and gmelina. Costa Rica's academic foresters posed the question, "how could the country produce commercial timber from native tree species?" The conclusion of the 1st Symposium was that the country should focus on 10-12 species, 5-6 species that would excel in dryer regions and the same number for wetter regions. The National Commission of Native Tree Species was formed to focus on this task and provide recommendations.

Several reports were published and in November of 2019 the 2nd Symposium of Native Forestry Species was held at the same location as two years prior. Although unanimous consent had not been achieved as to which dozen species should be promoted nationwide, there was general agreement which species should be prioritized. There also was a shared concern that farmers:

In 2020 we began working with Rolando Nuñez, a professional forester who had also attended the 2nd Symposium of Native Tree Species, and we began discussions with forest nurseries to determine which species we would begin working with. When the COVID pandemic struck, we decided to establish our own nursery, obtaining seeds from Plus Trees in the forests surrounding Rancho Colibrí. The seeds we collected, started in our nursery, then transplanted to a 2 ha (5 acre) pasture were: Spanish cedar (Cedrela odorata), Guanacaste (Enterolobium cyclocarpum), Cenizaro (Samanea saman), and Laurel (Cordia alliodora). We then obtained Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) clones, which were planted in mixed configurations with our own seedlings.

In 2021 we planted another hectare (2.5 acres) in pasture areas near to the nursery area, and we began thinning areas within our 20 ha (50 acres) of primarily secondary forest, selecting for: Oak (Quercus oleoides), Chicle (Manilkara zapota), Ron Ron (Astronium graveolens), Madero (Gliricidia sepium), and Cortez Amarillo/Negro (Ipe) (Tabebuia ochracea/impetiginosa). Our goal is to produce 10,000 commercially viable trees.

Although we self-funded this project, carbon credits in the form of PSA's (Payments for Environmental Services) are available nationally through FONAFIFO. In general terms, a PSA can subsidize the first five years of forest production, and in theory starting in year six a farmer could begin to generate cash flow from the thinning of the forest stand. Some trees would be ready to harvest after 16 years of growth, and after 20 years the majority of trees ought to be ready to harvest (although it could take some trees 25 years to achieve desired results).