Education Updates

A perfect example of our model’s use, offsetting the CO2 emissions of a fleet of trucks.

Environmental education is a major RTT goal…

Carlos & Ernesto Rojas
Hacienda Las Delicias
Pocora, Costa Rica

On 14th of July, a group of 22 EARTH students from Prof. Russo’s silvicultural class visited your forests. Our RTT Forester, Rolando Camacho, attended them. Environmental education is a major RTT goal.

Herster

This one-year old cedar is growing very well. It is sprayed monthly. Notice the nice Klinkii in front and large Rainbow trees in the back. You can already discern the planned structure and purpose of this RTT forest design.

Below is the Superior Forest #5, 14-acres and 4 1/2 years old.

Below, 3 1/2 years old.

RTT – photos of the Triumvirate carbon-offset forest in Costa Rica

This mixed-species forest, planted on an open pasture in June, 2010, is now 8 1/2 months old. RTT uses mixtures of tree species to create forests that have enhanced production for sustainability and for biolgical stability in the face of climate change. This forest is completely planted with about 1,000 trees. The fastest-growing species are most visible.

Notice the corn for food planted by workers between the trees after normal working hours. In the initial stages when the trees are small, there is room for food production, especially important in these days of increasing food prices.

Triumvirate carbon-offset forest

The tree below is a mahogany tree, planted to increase the potential profit for the farmer so the forest can be managed sustianably (profitably) for long-term carbon capture and storage. Mahogany requires special treatments to avoid the attack of the shootborer, an endemic insect that ruins the form of the tree. This tree has not been attacked because of those special procedures taken by RTT.

mahogany tree

A fast-growing Deglupta hybrid in the Triumvirate forest. When it is older, the bark of this tree is red and green, earning it another name, the Rainbow tree.

Deglupta hybrid in the Triumvirate forest

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New London Public Schools SEMI students environmental stewardship with a carbon offset forest in Costa Rica

The field is planted for one of our sponsors who is balancing his CO2 emissions in 7 forests with RTT. In the backgound are the 2007 plantings for other sponsors.

Dr. Barres lecturing to 25 Costa Rican foresters and farmers

Dr. Barres lecturing to 25 Costa Rican foresters and farmers in an UNFCCC/RTT forest in Costa Rica

Applying Fertilizer to 10,000 Seedling Trees

The workers have applied 5 sacks of fertilizer, Moises (the farm administrator) brought another 4 to finish applying small amounts to the 10,000 seedlings recently planted in 2010.

We are taking out the fence between area 2010 and area 2007 (below) to put it between 2010 and the 9 hectares not yet planted. That way the cattle can graze on the unplanted 9 hectares.

The work plan we have arranged with Moises is: (a) herbicide to 4 hectares of 2007 plantings to control the grasses, (b) herbicide to the 10 ha of 2010 following the lines of the trees, (c) finish the fertilization of 2010, (d) install the donor signs, (e) install the benches in the Triumvirate Forest 2007, (f) plant 10 tree seedlings (Vochysia ferruginea) in lot 1 of 2010, and (g) spray the cedar and mahogany of 2007. This represents another 3 weeks of work until we can pass to clean and thin the Connecticut College and CMEEC forests.

We are careful to leave the papaya plants that naturally regenerate so that birds can feed on their fruit.

Our field crew chief is pruning the mahogany or cedar tree to leave a single stem. Mahogany should do well in this shade if we spray it monthly against the shoot borer and occasionally prune it.

: Food for the Habitat

Oldest research forests were installed in a UNDP program beginning in 1964 in Costa Rica. The results are being used in designing new models of forests to achieve the goals.

New models are innovative and focus on mixed-species forests as potentially more productive than mono-cultures, more efficient in capturing carbon and, importantly, more wildlife friendly and biologically stable in the face of climate change.

Education Updates