Bertoldo looking for Sassafras trees. |
Reforestation / afforestation
efforts often involve planting trees that have a proven history of commercial success,
fast growth and ease of cultivation. This copies the same pattern that has seen
biodiversity in crops decline around the world, as most agriculture revolves
around a limited number of species. At La Pedregoza one of our objectives is to
practice multispecies cultivation that includes native trees. The importance of
this is obvious when one visits large teak plantations in Costa Rica, as they
are usually devoid of insects, birds and local wildlife, because teak is a tree
from south Asia that is not part of local niche habitats.
How do I get up this Sassafras? |
At La Pedregoza we rapidly
focused in on the vast variety of native tree species to be found in the
Orinoco River basin of Vichada, Colombia. Many of these trees have exotic
qualities, be that wood, termite resistance, fruits, nuts, oils, resins or
natural medicines. We soon discovered that some native trees appear to be fast
growing, but that there is virtually no data available on seed germination,
propagation, planting methods or best cultivation practices. During this
process we learned that many species of native trees are listed in the red
books of the International Union for the
Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as endangered, vulnerable or threatened.
Acosmium nitens test cultivation. |
Amazonia Reforestation and CO2 Tropical Trees programs at La
Pedregoza are based on a desire to preserve biodiversity on our planet. Some
90% of terrestrial biodiversity lives in forests. Many of those animals are
niche dependent, for example everyone learns in school about Koala bears
needing eucalyptus trees and giant Pandas depending on bamboo forests. At La
Pedregoza we have birds, amphibians and mammals that depend on certain types of
native trees for food, shelter and nesting areas. Planting native tree species soon became not
just an objective for our reforestation efforts and for our Reserva Natural La Pedregoza, but a passion.
Bertoldo climbing Salivón tree. |
Due
to our wet and dry seasons we are able to collect most of our native tree seeds
in the second half of the dry season and the early part of the wet season. Most
trees flower in the first half of the dry season, so the best time for us to
collect most native tree seeds is predictable. This does not mean it is an easy
process. Monkeys, macaws, parrots and ants compete with us for the fruits and
seeds of several trees that are on the endangered list. Once the rains start we
experience flooding in the rainforest, with seeds falling into the water and
washing away. Climbing the trees can be dangerous, as many seeds can only be
found high in the rainforest canopy. This makes the seed collection process
expensive, time consuming and often disappointing when seeds have already been
lost.
Endangered Ocotea cymbarum seeds. |
This March and April of 2012 our
foreman, Bertoldo Aldana, our
plantation administrator, Oscar Forero
Azabache, and I were able to collect native trees seeds from a variety of
species. Some of what we collected includes 3000 Congrio seeds (Acosmium nitens), 1100 endangered
Sassafras seeds (Ocotea cymbarum),
6000 Saladillo blanco (Vochysia obscura),
1200 latex producing Pendare or Salivón seeds (Parahancornia oblonga), 800 threatened latex producing Madroño
seeds (Rheedia madrunno), and several
hundred Moriche palm seeds (Mauritia
flexuosa) to plant for use by local indigenous artisans.
Extracting Salivón seeds from fruits. |
Once the seeds are collected
various things happen. First off we maintain a photographic record of the seeds
and their appearance for future reference. Next we do various experimental
germination trays, so see what works best (direct in soil, soaked for 24 or 48
hours, fired to crack seed cover, rubbing sand paper on germination end of seed
etc.). This data is of course recorded. Once the seeds sprout we transfer them
to planting bags containing soil that has been treated for bacteria and
fungi. Usually larger than normal
planting bags are used, because we do not fully understand the type of early
root system these native trees produce, so that is something we monitor. The
seedlings are then placed in the tree nursery where we observe their early
growth. This is usually an indication of root development as well, which in
turn lets us determine how soon the seedling can be transferred to the open
field. While in the nursery the seedlings are provided with some shade, but we
try to remove the shade once growth starts, so that the little trees can better
withstand the conditions they will encounter once planted in the field.
Saladillo blanco sprouting table. |
Native trees pose special
problems for us at La Pedregoza, because in Vichada’s Orinoco River basin many
of these trees are adapted to inundation forest and low lying area conditions.
That means they may require annual flooding. It is hard to do soil preparation
in low lying areas, as the soil may be very wet and soft, making mechanical
soil preparation difficult. It also affects how we apply lime to balance soil
pH, fertilizer and organic material, as flooding may wash those substances away
before the tree can make use of them. Part of what we do is to plant native
trees in both low lying areas, and in areas with better drainage. For example,
even though Congrio (Acosmium nitens)
typically grows in the inundation forest, we have experienced better growth
results with this species in less humid areas, than in low-lying inundation
areas. Once again all of this data is collected and tracked.
Ripe Acosmium nitens seed pods. |
Our long term goal to become a
seed bank for native tree species is shared with the Omacha Foundation and with Europe’s Tree-Nation. Our common goal is to
conserve species that are endangered, vulnerable or threatened. It is our
believe that if we can commercialize those species, by providing access to
seeds, germination and planting instructions and information on growth
expectations and carbon sequestration, then other plantations will start to
cultivate these species. That will reduce or remove the pressure those species experience
in natural forests, reduce illegal logging and allow for the species to recover
over time. Commercializing a species may appear to some to be an unwelcome
development, but it is a process that is most likely to prevent a species’
extinction and to have an impact on maintaining and conserving biodiversity.
Congrio seeds are like apple seeds. |
Dexter B. Dombro is one
of the founders of Amazonia Reforestation, CO2 Tropical Trees and of the Reserva Natural La Pedregoza in Vichada, Colombia. La Pedregoza is one of the featured plantations
within Tree-Nation. Dexter is a member of the IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas
and is dedicated to biodiversity conservation in the Orinoco River basin. The
La Pedregoza plantation was founded in 2007.
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