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FORESTRY STUDY TOUR COSTA RICA AUGUST 2002 Forester’s Log- Wolfdate 060802 Costa Rica…the almost final frontier These are the voyages of the NCSU Enterprise Its ten day mission: to explore strange new forests to seek out new life and new intoxications to boldly go where no forester has gone before (with a flashlight) Forester’s Log- Wolfdate 060802: After a minor confusion about the right loading docks, gas requirements, and gas facilities, a Wolfpack van lumbered into RDU with time to spare. It helped that the airport was unusually empty and before long all, including Andy “Talented Mr. Ripley look” Whittier and his tiny little bag, had checked in. In trying to defend his camera and electronic equipment, Brian Rosenthal got the ‘twice over’ from airport security. All aboard AA 775 to Miami can we count out loud pleaseuno (Amanda), dos (Andy), tres (Anthony), quatro (Beth), cinco (Bill), seis (Brian), siete (Duncan), ocho (Erin), nueve (Jacek), diez (Jamie), once (Kirsten), doce (Liz), trece (Nevin), catorce (Sally) and quince (Subhrendu). An uneventful flight and mystifying shuttle to Miami’s international terminal dropped us smack into the middle of a jam packed security screeners. After some picky scrutiny, agonizing pace and tense minutes, we were all on AA 981, setting coordinates for SJC_CR and ready to be beamed down. San Jose materialized in the fading light of the 6 pm sun, surrounded by patchy green mountains with wispy clouds, and packed with houses and streets for about 1.5 million people. Soon after we had disembarked, Sally promptly checked the alcohol options at the duty free shop. Everyone else amused themselves with the zip-line mannequin, while waiting to clear customs and 1

These are the voyages of Wolfpack · Web viewCosta Rica August 2002 Forester’s Log- Wolfdate 060802 Costa Rica…the almost final frontier These are the voyages of the NCSU Enterprise

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FORESTRY STUDY TOUR

COSTA RICA

AUGUST 2002

Forester’s Log- Wolfdate 060802Costa Rica…the almost final frontierThese are the voyages of the NCSU EnterpriseIts ten day mission:to explore strange new foreststo seek out new life and new intoxicationsto boldly go where no forester has gone before (with a flashlight)Forester’s Log- Wolfdate 060802: After a minor confusion about the right loading docks, gas requirements, and gas facilities, a Wolfpack van lumbered into RDU with time to spare. It helped that the airport was unusually empty and before long all, including Andy “Talented Mr. Ripley look” Whittier and his tiny little bag, had checked in. In trying to defend his camera and electronic equipment, Brian Rosenthal got the ‘twice over’ from airport security. All aboard AA 775 to Miami can we count out loud pleaseuno (Amanda), dos (Andy), tres (Anthony), quatro (Beth), cinco (Bill), seis (Brian), siete (Duncan), ocho (Erin), nueve (Jacek), diez (Jamie), once (Kirsten), doce (Liz), trece (Nevin), catorce (Sally) and quince (Subhrendu). An uneventful flight and mystifying shuttle to Miami’s international terminal dropped us smack into the middle of a jam packed security screeners. After some picky scrutiny, agonizing pace and tense minutes, we were all on AA 981, setting coordinates for SJC_CR and ready to be beamed down.San Jose materialized in the fading light of the 6 pm sun, surrounded by patchy green mountains with wispy clouds, and packed with houses and streets for about 1.5 million people. Soon after we had disembarked, Sally promptly checked the alcohol options at the duty free shop. Everyone else amused themselves with the zip-line mannequin, while waiting to clear customs and immigration – a reasonably quick process. 15 warm bodies and their 30-odd bags had made it in one piece. Mauricio, our fearless autobus driver, was waiting. It is hard to recount how it happened – and our return journey proved that it was indeed impossible to replicate let alone recount – but somehow all the people and all their bags managed to fit into that tiny autobus. Never mind the facts that the top of the bus looked like a poor replica of an Egyptian pyramid, and the inside looked like a good replica of a can of sardines. Careening and screeching, we made it to Apart-Hotel Roma in Heredia at the northwest edge of San Jose. The seemingly never ending sorting and matching of room keys, bags, people and preferences was overridden by several hopelessly hungry stomachs. The light drizzle made us more famished. Did I say dinner was

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on auto pilot – I meant auto “pollot”. Everyone claims to have fallen asleep quickly on getting back to the hotel around 11 pm, presumably dreaming of the wonders to come – forests wet, dry, swampy and cloudy; unpronounceable trees - guanacastes, tecas, pochotes, seba and sebos; spectacular wildlife - fer-de-lanzes, howlers, iguanas, blue-jean frogs, sloths, tanajers, toucans, kiskadees (orapendulas), monarchs; and undoubtedly generous helpings of rice, beans, and fried jam!

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August 7

Stop 1:Costa Rica contributes to 0.03% of the planet’s land area, but has 4% of the world’s species. Costa Rica was drastically altered following European colonization, where roughly two-thirds of forestland was put into other landuses (i.e. agriculture, pasture). Since then roughly ¼ of the country’s forestland has been placed in Protected Status. In 1989 INBio (Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad) was created as a non-profit organization charged with the task of increasing awareness of the importance of maintaining biodiversity. INBio is not-for-profit. Governance is through an assembly, Board of directors, and an international advisory board. Its mission is to promote a new awareness of the value of biodiversity, and thereby achieve its conservation, and to improve the quality of the life of human beings. As its vision, INBio will be a leading institution in the search for and dissemination of knowledge about biodiversity and sustainable use. As a way of communicating the importance of biodiversity, the INBioparque was created. It contains the most common of Costa Rica's ecosystems: the Central Valley Forest, the Humid Forest, the tropical Dry Forest, and the Wetland. At the INBioparque, one can find approximately 51 bird species, 583 native plant species, plus many species of mammals and reptiles. Also, several exhibits including a bullet ant community and a collection of 5 species of poisonous frogs are found on the premises. First lesson: Don’t eat the frogs. These frogs contain alkaline chemicals that are exuded from their skin.

Also under the auspices of INBio is the Bio-prospecting Collaborative Agreements (BCA). Bio-prospecting is the systematic search for new uses from biological resources, which might have a potential and sustainable use. This group includes 25 employees and US$1,000,000 in funding, as compared to 300 Indio employees and US$7,000,000 in funding. Specifically, this group is looking for plants with medicinal or other desirable attributes (e.g. natural pesticide properties). The bio-prospecting group is working with plant families that are known to contain certain compounds. At INBio, samples are prepared, refined (through a process of distillation), and sent to participating pharmaceutical companies for testing. Currently, there are no products available on the market, but several species have emerged as standouts, Lonchocarpus felipei, as an example. They also hold 30 patents.

Erick Vargas (InBio’s International Training Officer, P.O. Box Apdo 22-3100, Santo Domingo de Heredia, Costa Rica, email: [email protected]) gave a presentation on Bio-prospecting Collaborative Agreements. Starting with the Rio Convention, he discussed how the bio-prospecting arrangement works in Costa Rica. From the Rio Convention, (1) Costa Rica has sovereign rights of genetic resources, (2) prior informed consent (PIC) of the owners of

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the resources, (3) fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from their work.

The country’s expectations of BCAs are: Added value to biodiversity Benefits conservation Capacity building (knowledge, technology, etc.) Participation in future products

Through the BCAs, participating companies are expected to benefit by: Access to new biological resources Fair number of samples Re-supply of supplies Protection of future developments Clear legal framework

As an example of a bio-prospecting, an agreement was struck between the U.S. pharmaceutical firm, Merck, and the government of Costa Rica in late 1991. Under the terms of the agreement, INBio will provide 10,000 samples of plants, animals, and soil to Merck. Merck will have the exclusive rights to study these samples for two years, and will retain the patents to any drugs developed using the samples. In return, Merck will make an initial payment to INBio for $1 million (10% of which goes the government to support research), and an additional $130,000 worth of laboratory equipment. Merck also promises to pay royalties to INBio for any drugs developed from the samples provided. 50% of these royalties will go to the Costa Rican government for the conservation of biological diversity. As an additional monetary benefit (besides the royalties), value is given to having and maintaining high biodiversity. As more and more people become cognizant of this, less land will be deforested.

Additional information concerning INBio can be found on the web at: http://www.inbio.ac.cr/en/default.html.

Stop 2:Meeting with Professor Olman Segura-Bonilla, Director of Centro Internacional de Politica Economica (CINPE), Apdo.: 555-3000, Heredia, Costa Rica, email: [email protected] , (506)261-2898. Information pertaining to CINPE can be found at http://cinpe.una.ac.cr. CINPE offers a

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graduate level curriculum in economic policy for students throughout the region. Research areas are innovation, structure and change, trade flow ($ and energy), public policy in economics, and evaluation. Professor Segura spoke to us on the topic of “Competitiveness, Systems of Innovation and Learning Economy: the Forest Sector in Costa Rica”. In the forestry sector, Segura comments that there are really very few truly new discoveries. Novelty results from new innovations. And as is the case for Costa Rica, innovation comes from introducing these products into the economic market system. As shown through institutions like INBio, non-timber products like extractives for medicinal and cosmetic products are beginning to show promise as marketable goods. Other goods and services, like scenery, hydrologic control, and carbon sequestration credits are recent developments that are tradable commodities. Some selected product and process innovations for the forestry sector in Costa Rica:

PRODUCT INNOVATIONS PROCESS INNOVATIONSEco-labeled woodBio-prospectingCarbon sequestrationProducts from waste (e.g. fiberboard)

Farmer participationNew marketing methodsReforestation incentivesUse of secondary species

The first carbon credits (or carbon tradable off-sets, CTOs) issued by Costa Rica were for 200,000 tons to the Norwegian government. Since then additional credits have been negotiated for private investment in Denmark, Switzerland, Finland, and the US. Through FONAFIFO, funds are allocated to forestland owners for sequestering carbon and maintaining forest cover for a period of time. The payment of environmental services (PSAs) are derived mainly from taxes on fossil fuels. A 5% tax is levied as payment for the carbon emitted to the atmosphere.

Knowledge and learning, according to Prof. Segura, are fundamental for understanding innovation. Typically, these are related to the current needs and demands of society- production and utilization.

His idea of sustainable competitiveness is that it is related to the capacity to innovate and increase the retribution to the productive factors, maintaining or increasing the existing conditions of the natural capital.

Costa Rica’s new forest policy required by law:

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Water cycle protection Scenic beauty conservation Biodiversity conservation Carbon sequestration

Are any of these innovations increasing Costa Rica’s competitiveness in the forestry sector?According to Prof. Segura, yes. They are producing genuine competitiveness (related to the increase in productivity as a result of technological improvements). Eco-innovations are produced through learning processes from user-producer/provider relationships. Knowledge was used to create these innovations.

Stop 3:A visit to FONAFIFO, with a presentation by Edgar Ortiz Malavasi (email: [email protected]). FONAFIFO is a national fund for financing forest incentives. The thought is that every Costa Rican derives some benefit from regulatory functions of natural ecosystems. These payments were established to control/mediate/reverse deforestation. The idea being to make forest management activities as attractive financially as other alternative land uses. Their definition of a system of payments for environmental services- a mechanism, based on legal, institutional, technical, and operational framework, to pay to landowners for the environmental services (4 of them) which their lands produce when they adopt landuses and production systems that are environmentally friendly. The legal framework was established with the passage of the Forest Law 7575 in 1996, which established that this program be financed through a gas tax. The payment for environmental services is a value that lies somewhere between the landowner’s production costs and the amount the beneficiary is willing to pay for the services. Landowners who protect their forests receive $226 per ha over five years, with the option to enter into another contract after five years. Landowners who sustainably manage their forests, who submit a plan to extract only a certain number of trees, as defined by a professional forester so as to not damage the ecological integrity of the forest, receive $352 per ha over five years, but at the end of five years must agree to continue managing their forests for at least five more years. Landowners who plant trees on deforested land, again, following the plan of a professional forester, receive $580 per ha over five years, but at the end of five years must agree to sustainably manage the reforested land for at least 10 more years. There is also a property tax break. Individuals are able to enroll up to 300 ha, indigenous reserves can enroll 600 ha, while NGOs have no limit.

Some requirements must be met in order to receive these incentives. Forest cover is defined as 65 stems/ha having a diameter 30 cm or greater. And

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some areas of the country have priority over others. Priority areas for the program have been linking together corridors for biodiversity.

To date, most of the beneficiaries have been private firms, global contracts, and male landowners. There is also a noticeable increase from indigenous reserves over the past 3 years. Male landowners tend to dominate the smaller land areas (ca.1-100 ha), while firms and global contracts make up the mainstay of larger tracts.

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8/09/02 Lodging at La Selva

We began this Friday with breakfast at 6:00 a.m., after which we had a little free time to ourselves to walk around La Selva before our first meeting at 7:30. As it was, our representative from FUNDECOR, Juan Carlos was running a little late, which gave us some time with our guide, Marianela Ramirez, to generate questions for Señor Carlos. Juan Carlos arrived shortly after this and gave us a brief introduction to FUNDECOR, and how they operated before he answered our questions. According to Juan Carlos and the information he handed us, FUNDECOR was founded in 1991 outside of the government in order to help protect and increase Costa Rican forests within the central plateau. They actively look for new green markets that will provide revenue without drastically diminishing forests, such as the deal they made with Norway for two million dollars for the purchase of Carbon offsets. They also help local farmers by providing advance cash flow for future wood products, as well as selling wood in timber auctions that normally fetch higher prices. Bridging back to August 7th, Juan Carlos talked on how FUNDECOR is often the link between smaller landowners and government organizations such as FONAFIFO, which provide payments for reforestation. As of June 2000, FUNDECOR had signed reforestation agreements on a land area covering 345,485 hectares. FUNDECOR is also responsible for the introduction and development of the Green Seal In Central America. The land management plan that FUNDECOR puts together for foresters in the central plateau was Juan Carlos’s central topic. FUNDECOR works with landowners that average between 40 to 50 hectares, and never more than 300 hectares. Often times these landowners cannot afford to hire someone to do a management plan for their land, and this plan is required by FONAFIFO in order to be eligible to receive payments. At this point, FUNDECOR comes in and does the forest management plan (generally between 12,000 to 15,000 colones/hectare) for the landowner and later receives a portion of the payment when they are dispersed. Additionally FUNDECOR provides a constant presence on the land at a cost of approximately 1000 colones per hectare in order to make sure the management plan is being correctly implemented. At this point Juan Carlos showed us an inventory map of one of their sites. On the map a mother line was drawn that was interested by several perpendicular transects. From here, every tree measuring greater than 60 cm. on the plot was inventoried and placed on the map. At this point we left the classroom and traveled to one of the plots FUNDECOR was responsible for.The path through the plot that we walked was hardly visible but had been used only four years earlier as a skid trail. This plot had had the first 60% of mature trees harvested that the FUNDECOR management plans allow. This 60% removal ends up being 3 or 4 trees per acre or 12 to 13 m3/acre, the remaining 40% can be harvested the next rotation, 15 years later. The light gaps left from removing such large trees was striking, but just four years

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later you could see how quickly grown in they were becoming, and with such levels of moisture there was very little dead matter left for it had already decomposed. The practice of girdling trees was interesting. This saves work for the loggers and eliminates the use of poisons that would deem a product no longer organic, and ineligible for the Green Seal. After we had walked around this plot looking at the different concepts Juan Carlos had introduced us to we departed, and traveled to meet Victor Arayla at CACSA.It was at CACSA that the rain started to really come down. Victor Arayla explained to us how CACSA was responsible for growing seedlings, primarily for people in agriculture that wanted to reforest their land. CACSA is a non-profit organization that employs approximately 21 people, mostly women, on about 800 hectares. Employees travel to different sites throughout the region, with other CACSA stations located in other parts of Costa Rica, to see if sites are suitable for the different native species they work with. If the saplings are suitable than they are given to the farmer and workers from CACSA periodically return to the plots to prune the planted trees. CACSA often times provides the saplings included in FUNDECOR’s elaborate management plans for reforestation. In return, CACSA gets some of the money that FUNDECOR receives as tax breaks for agroforestry; this allows some cash return while the trees mature. Another client of CACSA’s was the station we were staying at, La Selva. After talking with Señor Arayla for a while he took us on a tour around the facilities. We first saw the small germination area that was adequate for the demand they had. It was interesting to note Victor had noticed an increase in demand for saplings with increased reforestation incentives. The seeds were grown in a mixture of 2/3 soil and 1/3 chicken excrement, similar to what we had seen at the organic farm a few days prior. After sprouting the seeds are placed in plastic bags until they are mature, which generally takes 4-5 months. After walking around and looking at the different native species CACSA had to offer we headed back to La Selva for lunch. Following lunch we went to the Jaguar Classroom for a talk with Joel Alvarado on La Selva and the Organization for Tropical Studies, OTS. La Selva began in 1963 with the mission to provide leadership in education, research, and responsible use of native tropical species. It had its roots in the 1950’s when a well-known scientist, Leslie Holdridge purchased 650 hectares and began his classification system. They now have 29 buildings, including a library. There are 350 species of trees, often times more than 100 types of trees can be found on a 2 hectare plot in old growth forests, as well as 1864 species of plants, including over 120 types of orchids, with 57 km. of bike and car trails winding throughout the park. Locating different species is made easy with the extensive soil maps they have of their property. As an educational institute they offer graduate courses in; tropical biology, agriculture, tropical ecology and conservation, tropical plant systematic, tropical biodiversity, tropical conservation biology, and ecology of Amazon flowers, they also offer undergraduate classes in the fundamentals of tropical biology, field research in tropical biology, environmental science and policy of tropics, and Spanish language and Latin American culture. In contrast to Palo Verde, which we would visit later, La Selva is more focused

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on research than tourism. It was said that over 40% of tropical research work published is based in La Selva. Much of the research focuses on managing forests and identification of local species for international collaborators. TRIALS was one project that focused on reforestation with exotic species using seven different species. Out of this research it was found that the native laurel tree was not recommended for reforestation. Other research projects included the effects of light amounts on different species, the vegetation around natural springs, insects, carbon sequestering, and growth rates, which where observed by watching the growth on the 5-hectare plots La Selva cuts every year. Due to its location in between mountains, with an elevation from 35-2900 meters above sea level, La Selva receives up to four meters of rain a year, but much of this is a seasonal rain, making it a tropical humid forest. The local community has mixed feelings about La Selva. Much of the land is surrounded by banana plantations and pasture and often times local farmers of Puerto Viejo express displeasure at the wild animals from La Selva damaging their livelihood. On the other hand many Ticos (Costa Ricans) support La Selva since it provides employment, 60 people work at La Selva, as well as work opportunities for locals that know the land and are able to work as guides. As far as animals, La Selva has 44 different species of frogs, including the poison dart frog, which was once used in poisonous arrows, thus the name. They also have 56 types of snakes including the second largest viper in the world, the bushmaster, as well as the palm viper. One of the most interesting animals was the bullet ant, which can measure up to an inch long. In other Central American and South American countries they are known as viente cuatro (24), for the duration of pain they inflict or seco (dry) for the type of pain. They are an aggressive insect that first bites its victim and then stings, releasing a painful poison that affects the nerves. Another ant out of the 400 different species I found interesting was the leaf cutter ant. It was neat to watch the parade of thousands of ants marching to or from their underground burrow carrying leaves or flowers often time larger than themselves, these burrows they lived housed anywhere from 2-3 million ants. Additionally there are several types of moths, katydids, and 500 species of butterflies. There are also a 436 species of birds, including different types of toucans and parrots. At La Selva there are 67 species of bats, 1/3 of all Costa Rican bats, included within the 120 different mammals. The Howler, Spider, and White Face are three monkeys found here, as well as five different wild cats After this talk we went on a walk with one of the researchers, Ricardo Bedoya, to his HUERTOS Project. Huertos is concerned with the high rates of deforestation and population growth and how to reforest the humid tropical lowlands for sustainable use. The project has been going on for eleven years and is almost finished. One interest Ricardo has is in soil fertility and both why and how much fertility is lost each year. Using three different native species, Cordía, Pilón and Heliconía they study plots that are cut once every year, once every four years, and once in eleven years. As the study progresses tree diameters are measured as well as leaf collection taking place in boxes erected throughout the plots. So far it is found that Cordía trees are dying due to nutrient loss, while at the same times the

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palms are doing fine, most likely due to their deep root system that is able to search for nutrients. On plots with yearly cuttings twice as much nitrogen is lost. The three main goals Ricardo has are to study maintenance and or loss of soil fertility, responsiveness to pests (many Costa Ricans will not plant Cedró or Mahogany due to a moth scare, but he has had no problems on those trees at his site), and productivity. One major problem Ricardo sees with his research is that sites are not large enough. Another interesting point brought up by Ricardo was that the trees with deformed forms often bring higher prices due to interesting grain patterns being desirable. From the Huertos project we headed back to Jaguar where we split into two groups to look at La Selva’s GIS center. Antonio Trabucco from Italy was in charge of GIS and gave us a very enthusiastic explanation on what he does and the technology at La Selva. He quickly explained to us how they enlisted a new GIS advisor every three years. He then showed us the progress they had made with new technology in imagery quality, and the how expected developments would make vegetation heights and biomass measurements possible from his station. Unfortunately as we were running short on time ,and the spotting of Coati outside his window, this part of the day was rather short.It was then that we headed back to Jaguar for a short, nervous talk from Alvaro Redondo on his Bosques project. Bosques’s objective was to investigate vegetation dynamics, species composition, and ecosystem processes. Alvaro hoped his research would lead to an increase in knowledge of potential for secondary forest regeneration and the use of secondary forest products and conservation. He then explained to us how some tree species are not present in secondary forests due to shade needs, and how it is these primary forest trees that demand higher wood values. His plan included monitoring vegetation dynamics among trees, saplings, and seedlings. Using litter traps, soil nutrient transformations, and tree species composition he was looking at nutrient cycling for both young and mature forests. Variation in resource availability entailed looking at understory light available, soil water, and soil nutrient availability as well as physical characteristics. Bosques also looked at the vertical structure of forests and tree reproductive behavior among different species. On each of his four sites palms grew the best. After talking with Alvaro we quickly headed back to the cafeteria for what was left of dinner. It was back to Jaguar for a talk by probably the most respected researcher at La Selva, David Clark. Mr. Clark began his presentation the hypothesis that “plant communities are relatively stable over large areas on time scales from centuries to millennia.” He chose to study at La Selva do to the fact it was one of the premier old growth forests in the world. Our group was then presented with different studies that all pointed to an increase in global temperatures. It was also shown that the uptake of carbon all goes into trees and the soil. One of the most influential studies concerning biomass was disregarded when it was found out faulty measurements around buttresses threw the numbers off. Much of Clark’s lecture consisted of showing us one study and then illustrating the faults with it. Another Dr. D. Clark, whom remained a mystery until it was later realized he was referring to his wife, found many of these faults. Several of

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these studies could be improved with longer time intervals and larger areas. A network among researchers of annually measured plots would also help to provide more accurate findings. Using remote sensing will help with larger areas being able to be studied. Flux towers and ground measurements did not provide enough information to measure actual concentrations. One last thing David Clark mentioned was in all of these studies concerning carbon very few of them measured more than one meter below ground level and was it recently discovered much more carbon resides there than previously thought. After an enthusiastic goodbye we headed back to Iguana cabin to relax and clean up after a very long day of interesting speeches. A short while later we were feeling a little rested and some of us decided to go to a small party with our guide, Marianela. Here we got to see some traditional Latin dancing and music as well as Nevin break his sandal. It was a nice way to end the day for several of the speakers we had listened to earlier where here celebrating on Friday night.

Addresses For the Different Speakers and the organization they represent.When calling from the U.S., first dial 011-506-phone number.

Juan Carlos, FUNDECOR: San José 290-8818Sarapiquí 766-6147Fax: 232-8020P.O. Box: 5581150,La Uruca, San Joséwww.fundecor.or.cr

Victor Arayla, CACSA:

Joel Alvarado, La Selva/OTS: La Selva Biological StationApartado 676-2050San Pedro, Costa RicaTel. 766-6565Fax [email protected], OETApartado 676-2050San Pedro, Costa Rica

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Tel. 240-6696Fax [email protected]

Ricardo Bedoya, HUERTOS: OTSEstación Biológica a La SelvaApartado 676-2050San Pedro, Costa RicaTel. 766-6565 ext.133Fax [email protected]

Antonio Trabucco, GIS @ OTS: La Selva Biological StationApartado 676-2050San Pedro, Costa RicaTel. 766-6565Fax [email protected]

Alvaro Redondo, BOSQUES: La Selva Biological StationApartado 676-2050San Pedro, Costa RicaTel. 766-6565Fax [email protected]

Dr. David Clark, OTS: La Selva Biological StationApartado 676-2050San Pedro, Costa RicaTel. 766-6565Fax [email protected]

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August 10, 2002

5:30am We all got up early to go birdwatching with Jerardo Bega our knowledgeable guide. The fantastic birdlife included toucans, hummingbirds, tanagers, parrots, and macaws to name a few. 8:15amAfter a quick breakfast we were all back out with Jerardo and Carlos for a nature hike through old growth rainforest. The three and a half hour hike proved the true diversity of the rainforest. Gorgeous plants, trees, and wildlife were around every corner, and our very capable guide was a mind of natural history. Some of the tree species include:

Secropia: large palmate leaves, fast growing pioneer, herbal use weight loss tea

Terminalia dolonga or Sura: tropical atlantic lowlands, large butresses, commercially valuable, thin peeling bark, HUGE, 250yrs +

Fruta de Pan or Breadfruit Tree: ornamentally grown in all Costa Rican gardens, fruit eaten in thin slices fried in hot butter mmmm....

Walking Palm trees: have long tall roots that break and grow out to follow the sunlight for its large leaves

Castilla elastica or Rubber tree: used to extract latex Ceiba sp. or Kapok tree: grows very large, bright green bole with

sharp spines when young, loses spines when older Lecitus ampla or Monkey pot tree: Brazilian nutmeg family, huge

coconut type seed, very valuable and straight Dipteryx panamensis or Ironwood tree: bright pink blooms, great

green macaw dependent on it for food, endangered, very valuable wood

Some of the plant and animal species include: Heliconias: 18-20 species in Costa Rica have specific hummingbird

pollinators, immensely colorful! Monkey Ladder liana: woody vine used for medicinal purposes, very

funky crookedy vine On the suspension bridge over the Puerto Viejo River we saw a 1.5

meter cayman hanging out on the bank Plants along the river are adapted to flooding Green Iguanas: up to 4 feet!! Ladytail Tragon: large brown bird with bright red belly Double toothed kite: raptor

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Bullet Ants: also called the veinte quatro, for 24 hours of pain, a 1in ant with huge jaws and a wasplike stinger

Leaf cutter ants: strip leaves, seen walking in long lines carrying bright green leaves, pink flower petals, etc

Hognose viper: a baby one, there are 7 species of poisonous snakes in CR including the ferdelance and bushmaster

poison dart frogs: blue jeans frog, bright red with blue legs Spider monkey: just one with no friends, long arms, legs, tiny head 3-toed sloth: juvenile, can reach 60cm, grey, fuzzy, very little

movement, they come down from the trees once a week to defecate

The rainforest was an amazing experience. We also looked at and discussed the difference between primary and secondary growth forest. Its all about layers. In a secondary growth forest there is an understory layer and a canopy layer. The understory is fairly closed because there is more available light. A primary growth forest has much larger trees, and the clearer understory creates an expansive sense of space. The vertical structure is more pronounced, and there is a visible emergent layer, understory, sub canopy, and canopy layer.

1:00pmAfter lunch we sat down with our guides and found out their point of view on ecotourism in Costa Rica. Jerardo and Carlos were part of an Association that was created especially for tour guides. They are required to pass a test to join the association. They have a lot of personal desire and drive in their jobs, and they are very proud of their region. Jerardo was one of the first naturalist guides to take a course in the subject at La Selva. However, most of the members of the association are self taught and depend on practice, mentors, and plenty of time in the field to further their educations. It is impossible to make a living being a naturalist guide alone because of the fluctuating tourist seasons. They are very serious about their jobs and truely love what they do. A major concern is that the ecotourism in Costa Rica will disappear and people like themselves won't be needed.NCSU gave them a donation to help them further the Association.

2:30pmAt the front entrance of La Selva there is a small plantation of native trees planted from an old field trial. These were the left overs and their was no official study on them. The species included Dypterix sp. Pentaclethra macroloba, Goethalsia meintha, Vochysia, and Terminalia. With a rough look at the forest after 11 years we came up with a few conclusions. The form was for the most part bad, but the wide spacing, and potentially poor soils could have been a factor. The Goethalsia had fantastic growth whereas

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the Alemendor had poor growth. However, that species has a slower growth rate. If these trees were actually planted together for potential future yeild, a lot more thought would be put into species characteristics. Suggested recommendations were to remove poorer trees to release the valuable ones, consider tighter spacing, pruning, and thinning. It did provide a carbon sink, and had hydrological benefits.Dinner and after dinner activities including bonding with the group!

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Sunday, 11 August 2002 – Costa Rica Study Tour

Arenal – La Fortuna

After a night of heavy rains, our group enjoyed a leisurely morning at La Selva. Some of us squeezed in a few, last-minute hikes through the forest before we boarded our bus to La Fortuna. After a two hour, fifteen minute ride, we arrived at La Catarata Ecotourism Lodge at 12:30 in the small community of Zeta Trece (near la Fortuna) where we planned to spend the night. After settling in, we were served lunch, which included guanabana juice (I believe it was called), perhaps the best fruit juice I’ve ever tasted.

Tour of La Catarata Grounds – Mr. Alex Gonzalez

Our first presentation of the day began at 14:00, led by Mr. Alex Gonzalez whose parents are members of the Association for the Environment and Sustainable Development of La Fortuna (ASPROADES), the owner of La Catarata Lodge. Mr. Gonzalez started the tour of the grounds surrounding the lodge at the butterfly enclosure, an approximately 10 m in diameter tent made of shade-screen material. There were no butterflies present as all the insects inside where in the larval stage. Two species, Caliguo and Morpho, are displayed here, both selected for ease of reproduction. At one time, the association exported some of the butterflies to Canada and England, but due to billing problems, the butterflies are now just for display at the lodge. We learned that the enclosure, populated with 200 butterfly larvae, generates interest among lodge guests but does require significant maintenance. The adult stage of the butterflies last between five days to one month and reproduction occurs year-round.

Next, we were shown the paca exhibit. A paca (also tapisquente) is burrowing, vegetarian mammal about 30 – 40 cm in length and 20 cm in height. The association has had much success in breeding the animals, which normally have 1-2 offspring a year. When inquiring about some excavations on the property, we were told that the lodge plans to develop a telapia (fish) farm in the near future.

History of the Association for the Environment and Sustainable Development of La Fortuna (ASPROADES) – Mrs. Nadia Moreno

Established in 1991, the local association began as a means of helping farmers grow crops organically, specifically medicinal plants. Financial pressures on the local economy provided the incentive to create the organization as a means to develop new income for the partners. Since its inception, the organization has witnessed a reduction in membership due to differences of opinion, likely stemming from cultural inexperience with large

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organizations. Today, there are ten partners. Initial investment capital for the lodge was provided by a loan from a Canadian organization. Starting with only four rooms, they have now doubled that and managed to purchase furniture and kitchen supplies along the way. It has been a difficult process, but the association remains optimistic about the future.

One product produced for sale from medicinal plants is a shampoo. The primary market for the product is tourists, though sales have been flat. Some of the plants grown by members include albaca (basil) and guayallama, which is beneficial for bones.

With little publicity and advertising for the lodge, most guests hear about the lodge through word-of-mouth or the Lonely Planet guidebook. The LP has been particularly helpful in filling rooms. Most guests are international ecotourists from North America and Germany. Room rates are the same for Costa Ricans and foreigners. Although the lodge has experienced an increase in national visitors, international tourism has decreased as a result of the terrorist attacks of 9-11-01. Not surprisingly, 2002 has been an off year. Competition from other nearby hotels and resorts, the rough 1.5 km access road, and the lack of extra amenities have also made it difficult to run the lodge. To help increase occupancy, the association plans to add a swimming pool. Lodge advertisements do tout other nearby attractions including the waterfall (namesake of the lodge), hot springs, and Volcán Arenal. The travel agent contractor, SIMBIOSIS TOURS, of COOPRENA R.L. (the COOP of which ASPROADES is a member) handles reservations and will arrange transportation to and from the lodge to various destinations.

Overall, ecotourism has proved beneficial to local economy by providing jobs, though many are only seasonal. In the high season, the lodge is often booked, but during the off-season, locals must rely on other jobs. Unfortunately, with increased tourism, even ecotourism, negative impacts to the environment have been observed. At the nearby waterfall, increased foot traffic has required the trail be paved and litter has become a problem. Although the waterfall is on state land, access to it is owned by another organization and an entrance fee of 1000 Colones (2.76 USD) is charged. There is a profit sharing agreement between the two groups but ASPROADES has yet to see any money from it.

Though Volcán Arenal is the major attraction in the area, its recent activity did force an evacuation of the lodge and nearby areas as little as one year ago. [Since the explosive eruption of July 1968, the once dormant volcano has been continuously active ever since, having minor eruptions of ash and lava daily.]

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The village of Zeta Trece (Z-13) got its name from one of three local cattle ranches. One owner, Zacharias, used “Z-13” to brand cattle. Most of the residents of Zeta Trece now work in the hospitality industry in the Arenal-La Fortuna area. [Mrs. Moreno’s told us that this was her first talk given to a group of tourists.]

Medicinal Plants – Mrs. Cristina Berrocal Guitierres

After Mrs. Moreno’s presentation, we had a few free moments before we began walking to Mrs. Guitierres’s gardens. A few of us crossed the road hoping to get a closer look at Volcán Arenal. As we watched, the clouds, which had shrouded the cone since we arrived, began to part, revealing the entire mountain. We were able to take a few photos of the towering volcano, and then just as quickly, the clouds returned. This proved to be the only time we were able to view the volcano from the eastern side. We then started walking to our next tour site.

Mrs. Guitierres walked us through her garden which surrounds her house, identifying each plant and describing its medical use. Below is a list of plants mentioned.

Plant Use, benefit, or treatmentMint Bug repellant; stomachOrange [Source of Vitamin C]Aloe vera Skin abrasionsOrtiga Source of mineralsMosota BeverageMilkweed Breast feedingJuaniama ??Citronella DisinfectantRula Bug repellantRotacola StimulantCorcuma Condiment; orange dyeSugar cane SugarGinger Indigestion; sore throat; nausea; etc.Guanabana BeveragePlantain (banana)Casava (also mandioca, yucca)

Tuber (starchy root); pesticide

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Mrs. Guitierres received information on organic farming from books, the National University of Costa Rica, and the National Learning Institute. Herbs for tea are harvested and then placed in the drying house (similar to a greenhouse) before being shipped to a tea processor. Ultimately, Mrs. Guitierres would like to process tea herself (cutting and bagging of dried herbs.) Dried herbs weigh 1/5 of that of fresh herbs and are sold for 800 Colones (2.21 USD) per kilogram. A member of ASPROADES, Mrs. Guitierres personally owns the garden, plants, and drying house. She also plans to build a germination greenhouse and is in charge of the association’s shampoo production.

The herbs are certified organic and fertilizers are produced from compost, ashes from a sugar cane factory, and chicken waste. Andisols (volcanic soils) are present throughout the site.

Evening Activities

At 17:30, most of our group tried to go to the waterfall, but since the gate would close soon, they could only view it from the upper overlook. Another attempt would be made to hike down to the bottom early tomorrow morning. Before dinner, we had a group meeting to review past presentations and discuss our schedule, upcoming topics, and questions we wanted to ask. The notes from that meeting are included in the last section. Dinner was served at the lodge at 19:30. Afterwards, we rode the bus to the Tabacon Hot Springs where we all enjoyed a relaxing dip in the 39° C (102° F) pools.

Contact Information

Mr. Alex GonzalezMrs. Nadia MorenoMrs. Cristina Berrocal Guitierresc/oAsociación pro Ambiente y DesarrolloSostenible de la Fortuna -ASPROADES-COOPRENA R.L. / SIMBIOSIS TOURSP.O. Box: 6939-1000 San José, Costa Rica.Phone Number / Fax: (506) 286 4203E-Mail: [email protected]

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http://www.agroecoturismo.net/english/index.htmhttp://www.agroecoturismo.net/english/catarata.htm

Notes from Group Meeting

Review:I. High demand from landowners for assistance w/ agroforestry,

reforestation, organic farmingII. Wait listIII. Water tax revenueIV. Criteria for selection of recipientsV. Problems identifying priority areas (FONAFIFA-SINAC

miscommunication)VI. FUNDACOR

a. Inholdings in national parks top priorityb. Environment/economic assessment

i. private land in national parksii. wildlife protection

iii. watershed issuesiv. biological corridors

VII. Violationsa. CASCA – try to fix problem firstb. FONAFIFA – require repayment of grant @ 0% interest

VIII. Costsa. $40-45/ha FONAFIFA

Preview:I. Meet CODEFORSA

a. Reforestationb. Accreditation requirements

i. Pass test??ii. Degree

iii. Colegro Agronomy School

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c. Management plani. Sample every tree?

ii. Remove only 60% of timber species?II. Reforestation

a. Species listb. Pattern/spacingc. Agroforestryd. Cost per hae. Success ratef. Survival, growth ratesg. Incentives paid on success or regardlessh. Seed/seedling sourcei. Exoticsj. Preferred speciesk. Site prepl. Fertilizers/pesticidesm. Who plants?

III. Other topicsa. Bananas, palm oil productionb. Quaker land managementc. Saw, pulp mills

i. Only one paper mill in CR - Scott1. makes brown paper towels

d. Certification of loggerse. Illegal loggingf. Forest health monitoringg. Endangered species (plant and animal)

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Costa Rica Travel Journal 12 August 2002

In the morning . . . After a quick morning dip in the falls below the Z-13 community (in the western shadow of Vulcan Arenal) and a wonderful breakfast (at which no glasses were broken), we piled into the bus and headed out to meet with Gilberth Sánchez. Sr. Sánchez is a forestry engineer in the Department of Forest Management at the Forest Development Commission of San Carlos (CODEFORSA). The web site listed on Sr. Sánchez’s card for CODEFORSA is http:www.codeforsa.com. I could not get this site (or any variant of it) to come up. Nor could Google find an active web address for CODEFORSA. CODEFORSA promotes sustainable management of private forested landholdings and plantations, primarily in the northern part of Costa Rica. The objective of the organization is to represent the forestry sector in this part of the country and support sustainable development regionally and internationally. The mission of CODEFORSA is to promote sustainable development and to provide extension services to local communities. There are approximately 700 associate (client) landowners working with CODEFORSA, which helps with both forest management and reforestation. CODEFORSA’s influence is approximately 20% of Costa Rica’s territory. CODEFORSA’s areas of interest include conservation and production forestry, environmental education, rivers, and plantations. CODEFORSA is in charge of the paperwork for PSA payments within its area of influence. The forest benefits CODEFORSA seeks to obtain have relevance at three scales (Table 1).

Table 1. Forestry BenefitsScale of Impact

Benefit Owner Costa Rica GlobalSustainable Timber

X X X

Watersheds X XAesthetics X XAtmospheric Balance

X

Biodiversity X

Figure 1. represents CODEFORSA’s relationship to both the landowner and FONAFIFO (the governmental body responsible for compiling and distributing funds for environmental services payments (PSAs)).

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FONAFIFO

Figure 1. CODEFORSA’s Pattern of Interaction.

The landowner pays CODEFORSA 16% from the FONAFIFO payments s/he receives. These funds provide the operating budget of CODEFORSA. Forestry payments were begun in 1994 under another government program and have since all shifted to the PSA program, which began in 1998. In the sustainable forest management component of PSA (one of three PSA foci, also including forest conservation and reforestation), there are now 190 owners, representing 20,544.63 ha. within CODEFORSA’s administrative area. Currently the government is putting less money in the program and the requirements for participation are increasing, so interest is waning. In the year 2000, politics kept the government from putting any money into the PSA program at all. Conservationists have been pressing for a shift in the emphasis embodied in forest management plans in the program. Their exact intent was not explained. CODEFORSA has enrolled 113 owners, representing 10,295 ha. under forest conservation since 1997. In the period from 1989 to 2001, 11,451 ha. have been enrolled under the reforestation rubric of the program. (NB: these hectare figures include tracts that were enrolled under previous programs, as well as those enrolled under PSA). Landowner interest in reforestation payments peaked in 1994 and has been fluctuating since that time. The majority of reforestation efforts are undertaken with exotic species. The most widely used species are Gmelina sp. (6,978 ha.), Terminalia sp. (1348 ha.), Eucalyptus sp. (998 ha.), Tectona grandis (890 ha.), Pinus sp. (262 ha.), and all natives (939 ha.). Table 2 shows the distribution of CODEFORSA clients by size of ownership.

Table 2. Distribution of CODEFORSA’s ownerships (all three PSA foci)% of hectares (rounded)

Parcel size % of owners (rounded)

30% <30 ha 81%32% 31-100 ha 14.5%25% 100-300 ha 3.7%

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16% of PSAawarded to landowner

$ PSAs

Dueño de finca (landowner)

CODEFORSA

Management plan and paperwork

12% >300 ha 0.5%

As CODEFORSA is not comprised of certified foresters, it works jointly with FUNDECOR, which provides certification services for properties within CODEFORSA’s jurisdiction. FUNDECOR is FSC certified but CODEFORSA is not. As discussed by Edgar Ortiz of FONAFIFO, FUNDECOR’s jurisdiction is in the North at the border with Nicaragua to the Caribbean and has an interest in facilitating global contracts while CODEFORSA is more active in northern Alejuala province and focuses on forest management. Within the CODEFORSA area of jurisdiction, there are two systems offering PSAs, one entirely governmental, the other stemming from private initiatives. The presentation of these two programs was a bit confusing. The first of the two programs is the government program under FONAFIFO discussed by Juan Carlos at La Selva, which pays for forest conservation, reforestation, and sustainable forest management. Sr. Sánchez stated that the reforestation payments under this program are not sufficient to cover reforestation costs. In response to concerns over watershed quality in 1999, a second PSA plan was initiated (and funded) by PLANTAR (a hydroelectric company operating in the region) for those landowners without clear title to their properties (and are thereby ineligible for government payments under the first program). The second plan is available for conservation purposes only. While the second program doesn’t forgive property taxes (not actually an issue in the absence of clear title), it does provide the landowner with protection from squatters. The type of protection afforded was not discussed. The second program was started with the dual aims of protecting watersheds and environmental posturing. The actual payment schedule under the two programs is not entirely clear to me. As far as I understand it, the first program pays $50/ha. per year to landowners for forest conservation, $15 of which comes directly from PLANTAR. In the second program, the landowner is paid $30/ha. per year for 10 years, plus and additional $15 (for a total of $45) for the first 5 years. If anyone has a clear understanding of the payments schedules under these two programs, please correct me. About 10% of the area with CODEFORSA’s jurisdiction is within one of the two programs. CODEFORSA tries to convince landowners prohibited from the government program for title reasons to obtain clear title to their lands (and helps them with the logistics of doing so) and then shift from the private program to the governmental one. CODEFORSA does work on the growth and marketing of products (mostly Gmelina, for construction, export of boxes, and furniture). CODEFORSA is supportive of the inclusion of agroforestry in the PSA program and believes that the inclusion of agroforestry will bring more people into the program. PSAs in the CODEFORSA region have to compete with the returns that can be made by using one’s land for dairy.

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In response to specific questions, we learned that the cost of reforestation is approximately 200,000 colonies/ha. The owner usually does planting, although some of the larger owners will hire professional planters. CODEFORSA sells seedlings from their own nursery for reforestation, at the cost of 35 colonies per seedling. About 70% of their production is in Gmelina, about which they have the most information, and which they usually recommend to landowners considering reforestation. A lack of knowledge about native species was cited as a reason for the concentration on Gmelina. Landowners will often plant more than one species on a site, with Gmelina on the best sites. No mechanized site preparation is used, but vegetation is cleared in an area 1 meter in diameter where the seedlings will be planted. Gmelina has a 95% survival rate on the reforestation sites administered by CODEFORSA, as determined by follow-up technical assistance.

To the field . . .Our discussion with Sr. Sánchez continued on the bus as he took us to the farm of Fernando Barrintos in the hills above San Carlos. In this region of the country, the more mountainous areas tend to be devoted to dairy production while the valleys harbor both dairy and beef production. Beef provides more income than dairy, and the income streams from cattle are seen by landowners as more even than those provided by forestry. (NB: The gross interest rate is 17%, while the interest rate for cattle loans is 23%). The farm of Sr. Barrintos contains 52 ha total, 17.5 ha of which is enrolled in the second PSA program, the rest of which is in dairy production. He wants to continue to participate in the PSA program after his current contract expires, but would like to receive more money for doing so. Posting of land is required under the second program, as is exclusion of cows from enrolled areas. Compliance with the stipulations of the PSA program is monitored each year by CODEFORSA and if a property is found not to be in compliance, payments are withheld until the property is again in compliance. Sr. Barrintos is in the second program because he doesn’t have clear title to his land and is ineligible to participate in the government PSA system. The land belonged to his grandfather, who had 600 ha. in total, and died without a will. Seventy to eighty years ago, when his grandfather arrived, this area was all in forest. The land was left to four sons and the paperwork for establishing title takes a fairly long time (2 years thus far in this instance and this was described as normal). Sr. Barrintos stated that the hectares included in the PSA program had been in forest for a long time and that in the absence of PSA programs, would continue to be kept in forest in order to provide clear water for his cows. He also stated that he is prohibited from changing the forested tracts to some other land use by law. He noted that all forests are not protected, only those which are in stream buffers, and that many people ignore the prohibition on cutting timber in the buffers. He is considering reforesting some of his

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steeper land that is currently in pasture, and has actually done so in a few places. His daughter and her class planted trees by one of his streams. Payments garnered under the PSA program were spent on “personal things.” Sr. Barrintos claimed he did not know the return per hectare for his dairy operation. He is capable of producing 1,200 kilos of milk per day at full production and gets 107 colonies per kilo, but cannot operate at full production the entire year. He has 26 hectares in pasture. One day of income from his dairy operation is equal to one year of income from the PSA program. When asked what the going rent was in his area for pasture, he stated he did not know, since people where he lives do not rent pasture. If he were to rent pasture, he would be willing to pay 10,000 colonies per hectare per year. When asked if having land in PSA contracts affected the ability of farmers to sell their land, Sr. Barrintos stated that it didn’t matter to him as he could keep land in forestry. He knows some other farmers who are participating in the PSA program, but most of them do not think the program provides enough money to be much of an incentive. When pressed further regarding his production capacity, Sr. Barrintos stated that the average cow could produce 18-20 kilos of milk per day and that a single cow produces milk 305 days per year. He belongs to a local dairy association, but they don’t discuss PSA payments. (Incidentally, Marianela said that the association’s milk was bought by the Dos Piños dairy, which made the delicious ice cream we all enjoyed). He said that the second PSA program doesn’t pay enough to warrant changing land use for solely economic reasons. He also did not know what payments would be under the first program, so he couldn’t state whether these payments would provide sufficient impetus to change. Sr. Barrintos cited the low levels of funding available under PSA, relative to dairy returns, as the greatest impediment to forest expansion under the system.

Onward . . .After thanking and taking leave of Sr. Barrintos, we traveled back to the CODEFORSA office to retrieve my passport and camera (which I had inadvertently left behind), then began one of the most spectacular drives of the trip. Circling the northern side of the Laguna de Arenal, we were treated to amazing vista after amazing vista, each featuring the smoking volcano reflected in the lake below. It’s a wonder we make any progress at all as we constantly called for the bus to stop for photographs only to have the view from the next curve prove to be yet more overwhelming (necessitating another photographic frenzy). Eventually we pulled away from the lake and pushed on Hacienda La Pacifica, late, to meet with Alejandro Sanchez (who is in charge of environmental management as well as the health and security of the workers). On arriving in the afternoon, we were treated to coffee on a beautiful deck at the hotel and once revived, introduced to the history and objectives of the enterprise. Built in the early 1900's, the original ranch was once owned by former Costa Rican President Don Bernardo Soto and his wife, Dona Pacifica Fernandez.

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In the late 1980s, the property was bought by Swiss interests. Until 1985, pasture and logging were the main activities on the hacienda, with some research as well. A lot of early OTS researchers worked here. In 1985, the group that owned the property bought an additional 1290 ha. and in 1988, bought an additional 609 ha., and eventually even more property. An irrigation canal was installed which serves 43,000 ha. Supplemental historical information was gathered from the Hacienda La Pacifica website (http://www.nicoya.com/pacifica/).The mission of Hacienda La Pacifica is to promote sustainable development, continue to build on their economic success, and benefit the local community while being environmentally responsible. The goals of Hacienda La Pacifica are to promote sustainability and economic efficiency, to follow the environmental laws of Costa Rica, and to continue developing improvements. The property contains both old growth and secondary growth forests, as well as agricultural activities. The agriculture enterprises were designed to follow the topography of the property to facilitate use of irrigation. Hacienda La Pacifica was recently certified under ISO 1400 (http://es.epa.gov/partners/iso/iso.html#whatis) for production of palm hearts, which they are attempting in the dry forest with irrigation. The property is divided into different land use categories, but they don’t use all the land allotted in each of the uses. For example, 10 ha of the property are allocated to palm heart production, but only 7 ha. are used, with the remainder kept in forest. As the land classification system was endogenously created, I’m not sure of the importance of failing to maximize the land allocated to each use. They have established a very large tilapia operation, with 95% of the production going to the US. Their tilapia enterprise is one of the largest in the world (according to Sr. Sanchez). They purchase fingerlings and raise them to market size. The owners did a lot of investigation to determine which activities would be the most economically productive while also being sustainable. They have an agreement with the national office of seeds to experiment with new rice seeds on their property. The Duke Primate Center has been working here for 25 years. They are connected with many research organizations by their account, and have participated in over 100 scientific publications. Hacienda La Pacifica has begun a forestry project (CERBASTÁN) which focuses on restoring the dry tropical forest with different states of regeneration and enrichment with the native species of the region. This project is a joint endeavor with CATIE, funded by AVINA (a foundation that “works in partnership with civil society and business leaders in their initiatives toward sustainable development in Ibero-America.” Their web address is: http://www.avina.net/web/avina1.nsf/LK_GCMask/HC0000164A?Open&LANG=Eng). Hacienda La Pacifica currently has 5 Ph.D. and 2 Masters students working on this project. The project site is an adjacent degraded pasture that had been worked for 60 years previously and then abandoned.

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Within the reforestation project, they have installed transects along which they have planted valuable market species. Only 2% of the tropical dry forest still exists in Central America. These areas were the first places settlers occupied on moving to the area. The impetus for participating in regeneration is that deforestation is so extensive, there is little knowledge regarding this forest type, and there is a high potential for bioprospecting in this forest type. Hacienda La Pacifica has attempted to incorporate the local community as partners in the reforestation project. Hacienda La Pacifica claims they are offering the vision, experience, infrastructure, and resources to the project. They are currently establishing an arboretum for endangered species and a botanical garden. They want to be an economically sustainable example for the region. They have 500 ha in the reforestation project and a sum total of 712 ha in their overall forestry program. In response to specific questions we learned several things about the operation. The water from the irrigation canal comes from the outflows of the three hydroelectric plants that operate on Lake Arenal. 33% of Hacienda La Pacifica’s land is without irrigation and is enrolled in a reforestation program (including the trees used for windbreaks). CERBASTÁN is without irrigation. Only 10% of the overall income of the operation comes from the hotel and restaurant. The tourist facilities are just to promote the image of the enterprise. PSA income outweighs the income generated by the restaurant and hotel. Two to four cubic meters per year is the average growth of the commercial species in the dry forest here. This rate of growth is not profitable now, but they hope it will be in the future.

To dinner and an introduction to Palo Verde . . .After departing Hacienda La Pacifica, we descended (with a phalanx of guide rabbits leading the bus) into the lowlands that comprise the heart of Palo Verde National Park (http://www.ots.ac.cr/en/paloverde/job.shtml). We were fed and housed and then honored by having the director of the park, Eugenio Gonzales, deliver an introductory lecture. Sr. Gonzales previously worked on trials projects at the La Selva station, but has been with the Palo Verde station for 6 years. Palo Verde sits on the confluence of the Rio Tempisque and the Rio Bebedero. These are the two largest watersheds in the country. Much of the work of this station is focused on land outside the park itself. Table 3 lists the historical and current landuse patterns found within combined watersheds.

Table 3. Tempisque/Bebedero Basin Landuse Patterns, 1955-20001955 1993 2000hectares % of

landhectares % of

landhectares % of

landForest 93,135 39.7% 57,178 23.3% 58,599 24.5%Agriculture no data 64,906 58,780Pasture 114,359 103,959 100,832

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Mangroves 2,928 3,753 1,470Urban 565 1,112 1,626Water bodies

163 1,321

Wetland 21,760 9.4% 14,076 5.7% 15,690 6.6%

The major crops in the Tempisque River Basin are rice (accounting for 33.2% of the basin’s area at 19,732 ha.), sugar cane (28.9%, 17,233 ha.), melons (0.6%, 372 ha.), mangos (1.0%. 654 ha.), prepared land for rice and sugarcane (36%, 21,442 ha.), and fish (0.1%, 95 ha.). The agricultural runoff from these crops comes directly into the park. The effect from this runoff on the park is unknown. Flooding is a problem in the Tempisque Basin. Heavy rains in October and November (the normal period of heaviest rainfall) in 1999 caused $30 million in damage and took 10 lives. The national government is trying two approaches to control flooding in the area: building levees and dredging the river. OTS is trying to work with the local government to understand the impact on the park from these flood control approaches. The government of Japan has provided $2 million to study these impacts. Water is an issue overall here. In the 1980s, the national government channelized a section of the Tempisque River above the park. When water was introduced into the park from the Arenal canal changes occurred in land use within the park. Agricultural development is expected to extend by over 10,000 hectares over the next 2 years, bringing increased pressure on water supplies in the area. This expansion is expected to be inefficient in its water use. Problems with water supply already exist in the area. Concessions by MINAE in the area total 11.5 m3/day, even though the flow during the dry season averages 8 m3/day. Use of water by both farmers and others requires a permit, obtained through MINAE. These concessions are available for a small fee, are never denied, and are seldom monitored for compliance. While there are scattered protected areas within the overall basin, there are no protected areas on the river above the Palo Verde Park. Within the combined watershed, there are two national parks, a biological reserve, a forest reserve, and three wildlife refuges. Overall, the park contains 38% wetlands, 24% deciduous lowland forest, 17% deciduous hill forest, 5.5% secondary forest, and less than 5% of spiny forest, mangroves, pasture with trees, lowland swamp forest, evergreen forest, and other habitat types. The remaining primary forests in the park are the evergreen forests. These have had some human intervention, but the tropical dry evergreen forests in Palo Verde are in the best shape of any in the country according to Sr. Gonzales. There are over 640 species of plants in the park, as well as more than 278 species of birds, >75 species of reptiles and amphibians, >78 species of mammals, >370 species of insects, and >280 species of mollusks. The timber industry historically began its operations in the tropical dry forests. Many of the tree species associated with this type of forest are now endangered. The scarlet macaw is found

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here, as well as crocodiles, and more than 30 species of bats. Researchers are still counting the number of insects and mollusks. Less than 25% of the plant species found in Palo Verde overlap with the species found at La Selva. Climatically, the station area gets about 1500 cm of rain per year and has very strong winds, which are at their strongest in the dry season. The highest rainfall amounts come in August, September, and October. The strong winds (trade winds) come in from the Caribbean side, so Palo Verde is in the rainshadow. In September, rainfall averages about 400 cm, compared to 0 in January. Many trees drop their leaves here during the dry season. During this time of the year, monkeys migrate to evergreen trees and snakes hide to avoid the sun. In the tropics, the dry forest is the most endangered forest type in existence. There are no pristine or primary dry forests in Central America. Fires become more frequent during the dry season. Much of the fuel comes from the pasture grasses, especially those introduced from Africa. Large fires occurred from 1986-1992, when a fire suppression program was initiated with the park service and the local communities. Suppression has been somewhat successful, but a large fire did occur in 2000-2001. There are no reports of fires starting from lightning fires in the dry forests of Costa Rica, so fire is not supposed to be a component of the ecosystem according to the literature. But Sr. Gonzales has seen natural fires overtake wetlands twice, and has conducted his own study on the effects of fire. He didn’t discern any changes in forest in terms of species composition and concluded that the effect of fire depends on the age of the forest in which it occurs. If the forest is less than 200 years old, the effects are devastating, but not so with the mature forests. There are some areas in the park that have not been burned, but much of the park has been burned at least once since the late 1980s. Wetlands in the park encompass over 6,000 hectares and used to be open water, which is better for waterfowl. Since the area became a national park, there has been an invasion of cattails. There has been an effort to remove these in order to reestablish open water. Control of cattails is traditionally accomplished by crushing the plants and submerging the entire stem underwater. Many of the changes which occurred in the park are the result of the exclusion of cattle from the land (the park used to be a cattle ranch). Many of the former open wetlands have become dominated by the Palo Verde tree. Priorities for the Tempisque/Bebedero River Basin are the introduction of integrated pest management (IPM), improved efficiency of water use, community training and technology transfer, the capture and systematization of information, and ecosystem restoration. Specific informational needs include: water use in the area, water quality (especially with regard to agricultural runoff), and general hydrological information for the area. To meet these priorities, the park has instituted 5 projects. The first of these is addresses agricultural discharges with two foci: 1) management of water flow and quality, and 2) management of buffer zones. The second projects seeks to integrate social and economic information into the current GIS system used by the park. The third project focuses on

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restoring wetlands and river streams. The fourth program aims to train farmers in soil and water use. The fifth effort is an environmental education program. These efforts are supported by AVINA, Ducks Unlimited, and the Costa Rica-USA foundation. Ducks Unlimited has provided funding for the topological survey of some wetlands and have sent hydrological engineers to help in the park. Sr. Gonzales ended the lecture by answering many questions. He hopes to develop baseline information over the next few years and then develop management plans for the basin which include agriculture. He stated that the wetlands in the park were kept open prior to the introduction of cattle by the force of the rivers. With the introduction of levees and the loss of water flow to agriculture, there has not been enough flow to maintain open water. The channelization of the Tempisque to the north of the park had the effect of destroying a swamp forest with tall palms that was the most important nesting site for crocodiles. Sr. Gonzales implied that there is a role for forests in flood control, but first the existing laws have to be enforced. For example, the buffers already required by law should be installed. He emphasized that the park is trying to work with the local community to create buffers. The land contained in these buffers has good soils, so farmers want to use the land for crops. These same good soils would facilitate the rapid growth of forests as well. Additionally, the concept of removing development from the floodplain has been on the table for the past five years. The idea is to do so in steps.

Finis . . .After the lecture, we split up to sleep, walk in the night, listen to music with other researchers at the dining hall, or view the scorpions living in the bathrooms. This was one of many, long, full days that made this trip extraordinary.

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August 13, 2002Palo Verde Natural History Hikehttp://www.ots.duke.edu/en/paloverde/

Our group began the morning with a natural history tour of Palo Verde National Park with our guide, Dr. Eugenio Gonzales. A Ph.D. in forestry, Dr. Gonzales is the directory of the Palo Verde research station. Two meters above sea level, Palo Verde National Park is a lowland deciduous dry forest on the pacific slopes of the Guanacaste province in Northwestern Costa Rica. Bordering the Tempisque River, the seasonally dry forest has extensive freshwater wetlands that drain the limestone hills surrounding them. The soils found in this lowland forest are two meters deep, rich in organics and nutrients, such as calcium and potassium, from the erosion of the uphill limestone. The limestone is a result of a geologic shift originating from the equator forming hills overlooking the Tempisque flood plain. Unfortunately there are no pristine primary dry forests left, which is the case in most of western Central America. Many of the tree and plant species are unique to this environment and are often endangered or threatened.

As we began our hike up the limestone hill behind the research station Dr. Gonzales pointed out one such endangered species. Legnune Vitae, one of the most endangered tree species with only 1800 individuals left in the park, only 30 of which have an 18cm dbh. This tree was heavily harvested due to its heavy specific gravity. The densest wood in the tropics with a 1.3-1.7 specific gravity, this tree was used for a variety of products such as propellers, hammerheads and ball bearings. The next endangered species we came across was the Sideroxylon capiri, common name Tempisque, as it is found along the river. With a specific gravity of .9 and roots that travel 8-10 meters in search of water this hardwood has a reverse phonology, getting its leaves during the dry season. Further up the hill we encountered two of the few evergreen species in the park. Fibrous and garlic smelling, the garlic vines deter animals from eating them. At this point the mosquitoes were relentless, as if we were the first fresh meal. They did mellow out however, as the wind picked up and the day went on.

Upward to the top of the limestone hill we could get a feel for the surrounding landscape. The wetlands stretched out below the hills forming the flood plain of the serpentine Tempisque River that cuts through the middle. The river is brackish and tidal as it makes its way to the Gulf of Nicoya. When flooding, the river can push as much as one and a half meters of water through the flood plain and can get tidal surges up to nine meters. In the distance to the northeast are the many rice patties and to the northwest the fields of sugarcane that employ the local farming population. It is an ongoing competition keeping the birds out of the rice. The black-bellied whistling duck can ruin an entire patch of rice seedlings in one night. In the past poison had been used in the patties yielding a death toll of 5,000 ducks. Now, candles line the patties and farm hands on motorcycles shoot guns in the air to scare away the ducks. As the cattails sway in the wind

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below it is obvious how they have dominated the wetlands and threatened the populations of migrating birds.

Descending around the back of the limestone hill we came upon several more tree species described by Dr. Gonzales. The forest understory was very similar in appearance to that of Appalachia. We encountered the Chicle tree, Manilkara chicle, whose sap was once collected for chewing gum, Brosimium alicastrum, common name Ojoche, used as a food source in some nations and Hura crepitans, Jauillo, a soft lumber wood also important to the scarlet macaw who feeds on the berries during migration. About this time our dendrology lesson was interrupted by the territorial bark of a family of howler monkeys. A family of about five, with babies, clung to the trees overhead as the dominant male vocalized his disapproval of our approach. When we returned from our amazement of the monkey troop we encountered additional tree species common to the park. The Sapium glandulosum, which has the appearance of the northern red oak, and was once tapped for the glue-like-sap to trap birds for pet stores. Spondias mombin, which looks like white ash; Calycophyllum candidissimum, or Madrano, the national tree of Nicaragua, also good for honeybees and Psuedobombax septanatum, Ciebo or watermelon tree for the sound it makes when thumped. The Ciebo absorbs an amazing amount of water and can easily grow an inch per year. As we exited the forest canopy at the elevation of the research station Dr. Gonzales pointed out two of the five species of Acacia plants. The Acacia is a very interesting plant that relies on life with ants to survive. The ants live in the hollow thorns of the plant and use the sugar from the basal glands in the leaf stem. The ants in turn provide protection from herbivores but allow three species of birds, such as the Kiskadee, to nest in the Acacia.Species list: http://www.ots.duke.edu/en/paloverde/species/

Laguna Palo Verde

The Wetlands of Palo Verde are home to 50,000 to 70,000 migratory birds during the dry season. The evasiveness of the cattails however threatens the wetlands and the nesting area of the birds. Currently wetland restoration is underway to rid the area of the cattails. With the help of tractors to uproot the cattails and concessions with local farmers for grazing of horses and cattle, the wetlands are slowly restoring to the native grasses and lilies. The money provided by the farmers for grazing rights goes back into the national park system. Much of the wetlands still exist on private lands, and in an effort to furnish a good public image some sugarcane companies are providing funding for wetland restoration. As the demand for organic sugar increases some of the companies are implementing better environmental practices such as changing irrigation and no longer burning slash. The national park is also making an effort to educate the local farmers in organic farming for both sugar cane and rice.

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The Boat Ride

After lunch our group boarded a boat for a trip up the Tampisque River. Our guide, a sugarcane worker turned eco-tourist guide, led us up river pointing out much of the rivers flora and fauna. Traveling during low tide revealed the habitats of several reptiles. The Basilisk or Jesus Christ lizard, could be seen hunting crabs and small birds while both green and black iguanas could easily be seen strewn throughout the trees sunning themselves. Several large crocodiles were laying in the muddy banks and often spooked by the presence of our boat. We were able to identify three of the seven species of mangroves that line the rivers banks. The red mangrove, for its reddish flesh hidden under the bark, grows large tangles of branches, or snorkles, hanging into the water. The white mangrove that floats its branches on the river during high tide, providing nesting habitat for the local birds such as herons, egrets and bats. And the larger black mangrove that hovers in the background of the canopy. Among the birds that were visible feeding along the river were the Blue and Great heron and the Tiger heron. Sandpipers, plovers, black-bellied whistling duck, who have no oils in their feathers and must dry their wings in the sun. And the Jacana, the most endangered and largest stork in America, reaching one and a half to three meters in height.

GIShttp://www.ots.duke.edu/es/paloverde/gis/index.shtml

Palo Verde has a small Geographic Information System operated by Mauricio Castillo Núñez. Started in 2000 through funding by Costa Rica and US agencies the OTS GIS contains over 260 layers and a geodatabase for the Tempisque watershed basin. They maintain landuse categories for the park, secondary forest research plots and tree inventory of size and distribution. The 2000 national census also provides some information regarding socio-economic data of the surrounding residence down to the district-tract level. Some of their current projects are, locating water quality testing wells, monitoring newly created canals, and a history of fire in the park from 1986 to 2002.

Fire and Grazinghttp://www.acguanacaste.ac.cr/

Gerardo Barboza, the director of the Guanacaste Conservation, gave our evening lecture. Working in conjunction with Palo Verde Mr. Barboza’s main focus was management practices for forest restoration. Prior to the protection of Palo Verde, the area was mostly in cattle ranching with grazing land among patches of forest. Fires spreading from the pastures to the dry forest created a severe threat to the health and rejuvenation of what little

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forest was left. In twelve years from 1990-2002 the amount of fires affecting the forest grew from 50,000 ha to 80,000 ha. Since the implementation of fire management the park has been able to reduce the amount of fires to 10,000ha. Although some fires are created naturally due to lightening, occurring during the rainy season they do not pose a threat. Mr. Barboza’s main management tool for fire suppression is the leasing of grazing lands to cattle ranchers at low or no payment. The theory is that the cattle, permitted to graze during the wet season, will reduce the fuel load and biomass of the grassy understory, diminishing the fire potential. The cattle create both positive and negative impacts on the forest succession. Grazing opens the pasture allowing natural seeding to take place. The cattle have little to no impact on other species and often aid in seed dispersion. Negatively, the cattle compact the soil, increasing erosion and often eat the desired tree saplings as they begin to grow. The cattle are permitted to graze during the wet season only in order to reduce the amount of loss of desired species by having plenty of fresh grass to consume. Some control burning may take place once the tree canopy is established, however establishment can take from 10 to 100 years.

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Wednesday - August 14, 2002Maderas Preciosas (Garza, Guanacaste)

We began the day awakened by howler monkeys at Palo Verde Biological Research Station. After a breakfast of beans and rice (what else) we went on out second boat tour down the Tempisque River. On the boat ride we saw Red, White and Black Mangroves and more iguanas than you could shake a stick at.

On the other side of the river we had preliminary speeches in the bus -

Jamie Schuler:Background on Teak (tectona grandis)

Teak is planted on medium to high quality sites, usually planted on 3x3 m spacing for 25-30 year rotation. They are pruned for clean saw timber and grow approximately 15 m3/yr.

Fred Cubbage:Forest Stewardship Council CertificationThe FSC is an international non-profit organization founded in 1993 to support environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world's forests. It was founded by the World Wildlife Fund. They have 10 criteria for certification, audit every five years and offer price incentives and access to certain European markets as incentives to participate.

Jacek Siry:Investments in Tropical ForestryThere are large up front costs and risks associated with investment in tropical forestry but there is the promise of high returns. The largest risks are government stability and property rights issues. The average return is about 1-2% annually but promises of unrealistic returns of 15-25% have been used to bilk investors. The most notorious was the Dutch Flor y Fauna who promised “green gold” to its investors was endorsed by both the FSC and Rainforest Alliance. The company we will be visiting Maderas Precious (Precious Woods) of Costa Rica was established by Swiss investors in 1989 is certified by FSC. They have 2500 ha (6200 ac) of plantations and invested ~$3000 /ac. They are expecting 1.5 million cubic meters when they begin harvesting in 2004 for about $110-150 cu. meters depending on the species.

Marianela Ramirez

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The State of GuanacasteGuanacaste is the most reforested state in Costa Rica. The prominent land use in the state is pasture land for cattle. The state is know for its beaches and is the most visited by tourists both foreign and Tico. There are also lots of migrant workers from Nicaragua to support the tourism and agriculture.

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Precious Woods Ltd.Maderas Preciosas Costa Rica S.A (MACORI S.A.)Apartado Postal 65-500 Liberia, Provincia de GuanacasteTel: 506 666 1629 Fax: 506 666 0416e-mail: [email protected]

Ronald Guerrero, general manger had been in Forestry for past 30 yrs and the last 12 yrs with Maderas Preciosas.

He gave a presentation on some of the more general information about Costa Rica. The most important reason that Maderas Preciosas was in Cost Rica was the stable government to protect their investment. They also own property in Brazil and a comparison of labor costs was $10/day in Costa Rica, $2/day in Brazil and $2/day in Nicaragua (where the many of their employees came from).

Maderas Preciosas was started by Swiss capital in 1989. They currently have a total of 8000 ha in Costa Rica split up into five “parks” Garza, Ostinal, Rio Tabaco, Santo Cecilia and Penas Blancas; 4000 ha of which are forested. They started their teak plantations in 1995. They are organized like any other company, Board of Directors, Manager (Ronald), Researchers, Accounting, Development and five managers for each of their areas in Costa Rica.Mission Statement:Produce precious woods, development of efficient methods of production through proper management of the forest projects and customer development of the forest and their products to benefit consumers, stock holders, the population and the environment

Some of the Species being planted for lumber by Maderas Preciosas

Nombre - Common Name

Scientific Name Family

Ron Ron Astronium graveolens

Anacardiaceae

Pochote, Spiny Cedar

Bombacopsis quinatum

Bombacaceae

Cocobolo, Rosewood

Dalbergia retusa Fabaceae: Pap.

Gmelina Gmelina arborea

Verbenaceae

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Leucaena Leucaena leucocephala

Fabaceae: Mim.

Caoba, Mahogany Swietenia macrophylla

Meliaceae

Teca, Teak Tecona grandis Verbenaceae

They were also actively doing restoration to the lands that they owned and were also planting native flowering and fruiting trees on roadsides for scenic value and community relations. They were also using GIS to track growth, expenses, plantation history, results and projections for different projects and maps for field applications of thinning, pruning etc. Also they kept records for the site indices for teak and spiny cedar and doing annual plantation analysis.

As of December 2001 they were certified SGS by FSC.

Reforestation Site SelectionOnly 55-65 % of total area replantedThe site has less than 40% rolling hillsWon’t remove present stands of secondary forestsLeave natural regeneration for shade and fruit for wildlife

Reforestation MethodsRemove ground cover with fireContour Planting or triangle spacing (depends on topology)

Plantation MaintenanceChopping of under storyGreen Tag Chemical Application if neededPruningSelective CuttingGirdle Trees not worth cuttingMark for formUse Mobile Mills to make cants for easy transport

Questions about the Presentation

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Is Maderas Preciosas participating in the Environmental Service program (PSA) i.e. government payments?No, investors don’t want help from the government; it would be self defeating since they are investing in Costa Rica to help the country not take their handouts.

What are their anticipated returns?15% over 30 years (a realistic 2% /yr) Based on growth rates of teak 12 m3/ha/yr and spiny cedar or pochote (Bombacopsis quinatum) 10 m3/ha/yr

What forestry practices did they alter to become certified by FSC?Practically nothing

Does FSC regulate clear-cut sizes?They are doing reforestation and then selective harvesting but there are no rules presently besides leaving corridors for wildlife.

Why is Maderas Preciosas doing certification?Because they believe in it not for the seal of approval (they really need it for access to European markets)

Do they only grow teak for clean wood (dimension lumber or for furniture)?They do want to plant multiple native species but they need to meet their promised returns to their investors.The native species have low prices on international market.Example:Teak $500 m3 from a 12 year old treeSpiny Cedar $250 m3 from a 100 year old tree(India largest consumer of teak 1million m3/yr, largest provider is Africa but they are running out so teak plantations like the one here are popping up everywhere especially in SE Asia)

Rotation Age for Teak?Site Dependent 30 yrs for poor

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25 yrs for goodUse genetically improved stock

Cost of being certified/ha?Approx. $1000/yr

Does being certified increase price of product?Yes but all dependent on markets and dimension of lumber Ex. got $140/m3 in Costa Rica but expected only to get $100/m3

Do they hire seasonal workers?Yes but the majority of employees were locals that went to the Technical Forestry School before it closed and the campus bought by Maderas Preciosas.

Tour of the Plantation

They have instituted a silvio-pastural system on all of their plantations by running either cattle where there is sufficient grass or their personal horses where there is not enough to support cattle.

Saw 60 ft tall 10 yr old Spiny Cedar.Ronald said it cost about $ 100/ha to prune for a whole rotation

On the campus they have built a Wood Demo building to show off the different woods and uses for them.

The difference in the density (specific gravity) of the woods was significant

Spiny Cedar 0.5Teak 0.6-0.8Ron-Ron 1.1

There is presently a large demand for mixed color teak which is a mix of sap and heart wood which is good for them since the age they are growing the trees to have a good mix.

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Native vs. Exotic Species Comparison ExperimentPanamaMahogany – only needs one 6m long log to break even on planting and transport costsSurRon-RonRosewood

Seed trees are planted at multiple sites around Guanacaste.The trees thinned from the seed orchards go to dimension lumber or for fire wood. The Mahogany Study includes clones from 84 families.The teak trees have roots very close to the surface so the trees need leaf litter to cover and protect the roots.

Teak Rotation Specs.Only planted on high quality wet sitesSite PrepMechanized Chopping or Machete and Burn during dry seasonDisc and Bed Plant after first rain (June)Planted either in rows or triangles 5X5 m spacingThinning and Pruning

Second year when 2-5 m prune 50% of height (grow 3 m/yr)Thin dependent on density of stand (survival rate etc)5-6 yrs Sanitary Thinning 10% of existing stand8-10 yrs Second Thinning Remove 1/3 of stand16 yrs third thinning another 1/3 removed

The average 10 yr old tree grows 14 m3/ ha/yr

Other Stand maintenance includes Round-up for grass and insecticide for leaf cutter ants

Ronald showed us a unique plantation that was planted into the terraces created by cow feeding on a hillside.

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Some of the other Plantation Combinations they were trying included:

Mahogany and Spiny CedarThe Spiny Cedar grows rapidly but looses its leaves in the winter so the Mahogany can grow.Spiny Cedar and Ron-Ron

They seemed to compliment each other the best.Melina was also planted with all the different species. It is also the most planted species in plantations in Costa Rica but it had bad form in all the combinations they had tried.

When the tour was finished Ronald imparted this bit of forestry wisdom on us, “Select trees to grow according to the site.”

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Day at the beach8-15-02

Wednesday’s tour of the hot tree plantation ended with a short dip in the Pacific Ocean. On Thursday, we were able to inspect the beach of Sámara a little more closely. We began the day with breakfast at the plantation, consisting of a variety of typical breakfast food, including the usual rice and beans that we all came to either love or loathe. Arriving at Sámara bright and early at 8:30 am, we spent the majority of the day basking in some much needed relaxation and rejuvenation. Some spent their time braving the waves, collecting seashells, shopping, and snorkeling offshore among puffer fish and other tropical fish. Some enjoyed a piña colada made with coconuts from one of the trees along the shore and fresh pineapple. Lunch was bought individually, though a few ate the typical “casada” dishes, including rice, beans, fried plantains, salad, and choice of meat, chicken, or fish. I think we all agree that we had a great day at the beach.Around 3:30 pm, we headed for our second home, the bus, and started the long, four-hour trip to Monteverde. We had a break from the bus when we took a short ferry ride, which was rich with the smells of Costa Rica – fresh bread, fresh fruits, and two truckloads of “fresh” cows. As night fell, we knew we were getting closer to our destination as the temperature steadily dropped and we reached for our sweaters and rain jackets. The dark, bumpy, mountain road soon gave way to the surprisingly neon-filled, bustling little town of Monteverde. After a bit of searching, we found the much anticipated pizza restaurant, Johnnie’s Pizzaría. While we waited, we discussed some things we’d learned so far and collectively listed the ecosystems we had visited (tropical humid forest, tropical dry forest, cloud forest, central valley region, and wetlands and mangroves). We were all ready when our table for 18 was called, and we headed inside for some pizza. Our night ended at the lodge in Monteverde, and most of us went to sleep early to prepare for the next day’s adventure in the canopy of the cloud forest.

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August 16, 2002

Skywalk began in 1997. The three brothers were dairy farmers and when the market dropped, they had to find another line of work. They recognized that tourist needed more exciting adventure. Indeed, their eco-tourism business did much better than they could have expected. Two years later, in 1999, they began Skytrek. Originally, Skytrek had four zip lines, now there are eleven. Their third project, in Santa Elena will open in just two weeks.

Eco-tourism provides environmental education, awareness, and conservation. Skywalk/Skytrek consists of 120 hectares. The La Fortuna project is 200 hectares. This project will have curved bridges and zip lines of new design, expected completion is in one year. The hydro-electric plant owns land adjacent to the La Fortuna project. The connection of these two lands will serve as a biological corridor supporting hundreds of animals. The company plans to continue purchasing forestland.

The start-up capital for Skywalk cost 2.5 million dollars, and 1.3 million dollars for Skytrek. The business has been successful, with 53 permanent employees. They receive approximately 100-140 visitors a day, between 33,000-50,000 per year, a twenty-seven percent increase in growth. However, despite the fact that locals are charged ten dollars less, the vast majority are international clients.

Skywalk/Skytrek has brought some changes. Prior to the business, there was not much development in the area. The towns have now expanded and are approaching capacity. Plans for paving the streets may complicate this matter.

Scientist who had a consciousness of conservation formed The Tropical Science Center in 1962. Eleven percent of the original Cloud Forest existed. The Monteverde Conservation League donated one thousand hectares.

There were only 400 visitors in 1974. In 2001, there were 55,000 visitors, the result of a rapid increase of approximately 2,000 people per year. Today, twenty – eight percent of all the Costa Rican vacationers come to Monteverde, and eighty-five percent of them are international travelers. The average stay is for 2.45 days. Yet, the tourists can only visit two percent of the forestland.

The Paternal Forest for the Kids surrounds the Monteverde Reserve. There is a security agreement with the Park Rangers. Guards from Conservation

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League patrol the North, and Rangers from the Monteverde Institute patrols the South.

The high season for tourist is from December to the end of April. The medium season for tourist is from the beginning of May to the end of August. The lowest season for tourist is from the beginning of September to the end of November. September has traditionally always been their lowest month. However, the tragic events of September 11, 2001 brought some changes to the area. The high season of tourist was belated, and jobs were lost over the general decline in tourism.The Golden Toad was an endemic species of the Cloud Forest. In 1987, scientist obtained the highest count of the species. In 1989, just two years later, only one male was found. That male would be the last Golden Toad ever seen. The most supported theory for their disappearance is global warming. Monteverde is in the middle of the Continental Divide, where moisture from both the oceans collide. Temperature increases have caused the clouds to rise. The average rainfall in the town of Monteverde is 3,000 millimeters per year. The average rainfall inside the cloud forest is 2,400 millimeters per year. In the past, rainfall remained constant, but now there are rainfall peaks interrupted with longer dry seasons. Species in lowlands have moved up topographically in order to adapt to these changes in climate.

The Tropical Science Center participates in “Virtual Ecology” called the Cloud Forest Life Project. Cameras inside the bird nests take pictures every 20 seconds of the aviary activities such as work, incubation, and food. These pictures are updated on the World Wide Web every half hour. Bird watchers from around the globe participate in identification. Additionally, The Tropical Science Center participates in environmental education programs with seven schools in the area. ________________________________________________________________________

Monteverde was first settled by indigenous people, next came Tico farmers, and third the Quakers after the loss of the army in 1950. The Quakers brought a cash economy, the first electrical and telephone system, along with building the first schoolhouse. The group had the pleasure of visiting the traditional cheese factory and sampling some goodies.

Land-use and landscape patterns began to change. In the 1940’s the forest began to rapidly diminish. Urbanization continued to increase, thousand of people moved to the area. Deforestation and poor soils contributed to between forty and sixty percent of topsoil erosion. Housing developments contributed to the fragmentation of forest networks, and creating windbreaks. Forty percent of the tree species had appeared in

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these windbreaks. Today, Monteverde is approximately twenty-five percent forested with scattered pastures and eco-tourism businesses. The Talamanca Mountains of Costa Rica are the oldest and highest mountain range in the country. Tradewinds play a large role in the weather of Costa Rica, and in turn affects the country’s ecosystem. The tradewinds move across the landscape dumping rain, but as you move down in topography the rain diminishes.

Cloud forests are dependent on two abiotic variables, temperature and precipitation. Land-Sat images have picked up differences in moisture over the years. The Eternal Forest of the 1950’s was the first act of conservation for watershed purposes.

In 1986, the Monteverde Conservation League began a land purchase campaign. Swedish children brought in hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Children’s Rain Forest Campaign. All the conservation was concentrated on the Atlantic slope, approximately 130,000 acres of primary forest were protected.

Very little land on the Pacific slope was protected. Resplendent Quetzals migrate here, and are drawn by the biodiversity of the wild avocadoes. From April to June they breed in the Cloud Forest, after breeding they move on.

As Santa Elena’s population continues to grow, pressure will be placed on the landscape. Critical habitats will coincide with rapid development. The Guacimal River and Catchment Project found the Sucia to have FC levels of 11,200. An FC level of 200 is considered to be untouchable.

There is hope, the first Environmental Service Contracts were in Monteverde. They are essentially legally binding contracts between neighbors, and the waste-water treatment facility. The objective was to create a “green” network. The price of land continues to increase, but landowners give up development rights for environmental payments. For example, the Finca La Bella Farm is a permanent land trust set up for twenty-four families. They have a three-year mandate by the Institute.

Conservations easements do increase the value of land, but there is no methodology for the value of purchase. Squatters with no titles have caused additional problems. A future probability is for municipalities to zone and tax for water quality, and biodiversity. However, the government and the environmental payment programs have diminishing resources. As a result, the national parks are very much under funded.

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That night we rode the tour bus back to Heredia, approximately a 5 hour drive. On the way we stopped for our last dinner at Nela’s house (our host for the trip.) Her family’s business is throwing parties. Persons are able to rent out the large room or the small room for special occasions. The large room was occupied that night by a company celebrating their female employees for Mother’s Day. Our group ate in the smaller room and celebrated Andrew Whittier’s birthday (Natural Resources Senior). He especially enjoyed the strobe light.

August 17

The last day of our trip to Costa Rica started very early, just around the midnight. This is because the day before we had a long drive from Monteverde, then a nice dinner courtesy of Marianela Ramirez's parents in Heredia, and by the time we got to Apart-Hotel Roma, also in Heredia, it was already past midnight. Despite the very long day, some of us still decided to explore nightlife in this college town.

All of us greeted the sun around 7:00 a.m. In contrast to our first breakfast in Costa Rica, there were no brave souls willing to try fried rice in a small Chinese restaurant next to our hotel. Instead, we all headed downtown for breakfast and coffee. Some really desperate souls, not able to handle anymore the traditional Costa Rican breakfast staple consisting of rice and beans, went straight to a local McDonalds for a good American breakfast, while others found nice pastry and coffee shops. After that there was still some time left for last minute shopping and sightseeing.

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At 10 a.m. we met at the hotel and headed to the airport. This time we rode in style: a microbus, two taxis, and Marianela's car (if you do not remember, when we came to Costa Rica all of us had to fit into that microbus). We loaded some of our luggage on the top of the bus, which turned out to be a risky decision as on one turn we nearly lost a piece. After a short stop to rearrange our precious belongings, we continued to the airport past coffee plantations. The check-in went very smoothly, and there still was some time left to rummage through a nicely stuffed airport shop with Costa Rican specials. We departed right on time (AA 988, 12:48 p.m.) and headed straight to the north, flying over Cuba towards Miami.

The passport control at Miami airport also went fairly smoothly. After a short wait, we got our luggage and were on our way to a connecting flight to Raleigh. The problem was, however, that there was only one custom line opened for what appeared to be at least a thousand heavily laden travelers. We made it just in time to catch our Raleigh flight (AA 588 7:35 p.m.). And some of us even had a chance to grab a bite, which is not a small thing. As you may know, American Airlines tries very hard to avoid bankruptcy by eliminating sandwiches even on international flights.

On the other hand, the flight was smooth and we arrived in Raleigh a few minutes before 10:00 p.m. We gathered at the baggage claim, collected our belongings, thanked our leaders for the great trip, and awarded an honorary pin to Nevin, who did an outstanding logistic job for the trip. Then, there was one last picture, and newly graduated tropical forestry experts happily headed for the first day of classes.

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