tropical hardwoods

[flo]

the seeds can be obtained locally but i would rather go for seeds from a large producer as costa rica

the project i have planned has approx. 3000 trees planted by phases on 100.000 sqm, considering that at then end you may have 1500 quality trees to harvest.
the first 3 years the tree spends in a nursery with a lot of attention, after 3 years the tree is planted outside, as by then it has enough strenght to protect itself from bugs etc.

as the world is obviously using more wood then it can produce the prices will raise over the next few years, so a 1500 US per tree can be obtained very easy from my conclusions.

about the drying question,

i have only spoken to some local carpinters and they stated that the wood is just not dried well
.i have not gotten this far in my research yet as how the drying process exactly works.
What i do belive the diference between the wood in the 19th and today is that internationally the standards have not been as high as they are now and diferent machinery was used to process the wood.

 

[flo]

about the soil, before you buy you do a lab study of the soils qualities, and they will tell you exactly which tree can and will grow in this soil

the land should not cost more then 1 - 3 us per sqm or even less, i got some properties located that have been tested on soil quality but sorry i cannot share where they are as iam still planing this to do myself somehow or with a partner

 

[macocael]

Flo, of course you shouldnt share the info, you have already been quite generous enough! It is a great idea and I am very enthusiastic for you.

Drake raises an interesting question about the seeds though: the trees that I have seen are in fact small (all of them at the Botanical Gardens). They are not going to yield much wood, and I wonder then just how much each tree could be worth. The numbers you project are quite attractive, and if could harvest 1500 trees at 1500US a pop, you are going to realize an enormous profit when the time comes. But would the seeds you buy in Costa Rica be the same as you get here, and would they yield big enough trees?

From your scenario it seems that the farming of these trees revolves around two periods of intensive labor: the initial nursing and planting of the trees, which would involve of course an extensive nursery setup; and the harvesting and curing. At those points you would probably have to hire extra help to get the job done.

Finally the environmental impact: is it safe to assume that in fact such farming is good for the environment since it involves reforestation? Even though the trees will be harvested, the process inevitably involves replanting as well, so the forestation is maintained in a sense.

 

[Rick Snyder]

Did a little research for anyone interested but this is about wood in general.

Harvesting trees;
http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/FreePubs/pdfs/uh135.pdf#search='what%20is%20the%20process%20for%20harvesting%20trees%20to%20make%20lumber'

Different woods;
http://www.schallerhardwood.com/harwood_lumber.htm

Selling your trees;
http://www.fincaleola.com/selling_your_trees.htm

What’s going on in the world with lumber;
http://www.globalwood.org/news/news.htm

Drying lumber;
http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplgtr/fplgtr118.pdf#search='drying%20lumber'

Rick

 

[Drake]

Caoba growing tips

Where the Caoba trees are found growing wild is an indicator for transitional forests. Examples of these haditats is around San Jose de Ocoa and Bani. The Caoba does not do well in very dry climate or very humid climate. Rainfall around 1000 mm a year is about right. They prefer dryer than wetter climates. Caoba does not do well at higher cooler altitudes. So Constanza is not a good location. The DR has many micro climates and variations and the best place to grow is in there traditional growing habitats.
I would not recommend Costa Rican Mahogany as it is a faster growing inferior wood. Jamaica, Southern Cuba and Haiti share the same type of high quality Caoba.

 

[Rick Snyder]

A;; you ever wanted to know about caoba but were afraid to ask;

http://www.frp.uk.com/dissemination_documents/Annex_1_-_AF-Taung-Trop1.pdf#search='Caoba%20trees'

 

[gary short]

Rallimike how about a sapling farm. give away a bazillion saplings and instruct the locals that you'll be back to buy up their cut timber once it reaches a certain size. Imagine the greening of the D.R., everbody wins.

 

[donrael]

keep me posted

mac, flo, etc al.
this is interesting, especially since by some coinsidence, my father has been talking to me about about trees for wood and how DR doesnt produce as much although it has the capacity. he wanted me to look into investing in that.

So now seeing this thread, I feel like I should pay some attention.

keep me int he loop guys

 

[macocael]

Ha! it looks like we have all been thinking along the same lines. I admit I like the idea for all kinds of reasons, but it requires a serious investment of time and money and study, as both Flo and Drake, with their considerable knowledge, have demonstrated. I may never join in such a venture, but I will happily root on the sidelines. I do think that DR is ripe for more of this sort of thing.

My uncle did a similar thing many years ago. After working till he was nuts on Wall street, he quit, bought a nursery on Long Island and created one of the first decorative plants nurseries ever seen on the NOrth Fork. OK, it is not exactly farming Mahogany, but it took him years to get established and the lifestyle and skills i imagine were not too different. NOt a bad life all in all.

 

[GringoCArlos]

Keep in mind folks, that in order to harvest whatever trees you plant, you must also first have permission from the Department of Environment, and some kind of replanting agreements in place. Logging is very controlled here, and a landowner does not have the right to cut any trees on their own property without the permission.

This might be a good uestion for Fabio's advice in the Legal section.

 

[flo]

the permission to cut the tree is obtained even before the trees are planted

as said, anyone interested in such project please email me

the investment is much lower then you would probaly think

 

[phocavitulina]

Even though this conversation is a bit older, I'm interested to know if anyone has had any experience with tropical hardwoods in DR. Has anyone planted plantations and had positive and negative experiences?

 

[Drake]

Even though this conversation is a bit older, I'm interested to know if anyone has had any experience with tropical hardwoods in DR. Has anyone planted plantations and had positive and negative experiences?

I occasionally harvest Acacia Magnum from my property but have never really made much money off it. I have another tree called Melina but im in no hurry to cut tem