Scientific Forest Management by Richard Latty Caswell Forest Products

1. Scientific Forest Managementby Richard LattyCaswell Forest Products

3. Honduras Future Wood • In order to meet future demands for wood products we must manage our forest resources to produce more wood. • Ability to Harvest More Wood Every Year, Forever.

4. Imagen de Landsat

5. Honduras Pine • Honduras Area: 43,433 square miles (Tennessee: 42,144) • Area Producing Pine: 10,000 sq-miles • Annual Wood Production: 1.5M M3

6. Image of Hacienda Guadelupe

7. Pine on Hacienda Guadelupe • Area: 6,500 acres (2,600 hectares) • Tree Population: < 70 trees/acre (< 175 trees/hectare) • Multi-aged stands • Highly variable densities • Inefficient spatial distributions

8. HG - a NNE

9. Problem • Low future harvestable volume • Low future quality • Low overall wood production • Open stands result in high accumulation of combustible fuel and high probability of wildfire • Low predictability of future production and harvestable trees.

10. HG - NNE

11. HG - NE

12. HG - Este

13. HG - SE

14. HG - Sur

15. HG - seccion con buen densidad

16. Solution Scientific Forest Replanting Using Nursery Seedlings

17. Program • Plant Seeds in Nursery • Manage Seedlings for optimal growth • Cut Zones in Forest Management Sections – cut all trees • Burn area – preparing soil surface for seedlings • Transplant Seedlings to Forest Zone • Manage competition & fuel loads

18. Plantulas en Vivero con salud excelante

19. Vivero Transplante en el Bosque qual los Plantulas estan optima por nacimiente en el Bosque

20. Pino despues de transplante – 2 anos de edad

21. Pino con 8 anos

22. Pino con 15 anos

23. Benefits • More Seedlings/Area (450/acre, 1,125/hectare) • More efficient spatial distribution of Seedlings • Healthier Trees • Faster Initial and Overall Growth • Natural pruning of lower limbs • Higher value of harvestable trees • Harvestable trees earlier • More harvestable trees per area • More wood volume/area/year • Greater Predictability/Lower Risk • Lower Road Requirements • Better Wild Fire Control

24. Additional Costs • Seeds • Seedbed preparation (discing, herbicide) • Seed Planting • Seedling Maintenance (water, fertilizer, weed control) • Seedling Site Preparation – Controlled Burn, Fire Breaks, Fire Control • Seedling Transplantation • Seedling/Tree Maintenance – Controlled Burns, Fire Control

25. Cost Savings • Reduced Forest Plan Preparation Costs – no individual tree marking required • Reduced Harvest Cost – more trees harvested from smaller area – reduced cutting, yarding, road maintenance. • Ability to cut wood every year forever.

26. Specific Information for Hacienda Guadelupe • Pressure treated utility poles & pilings. • Enables harvesting of trees at earlier age (18 to 20 years versus 30 to 45 years for saw timber). • Enables more efficient use of the wood– 95% utilization versus 45 to 65% utilization for saw log). • Enables high labor content in the product prior to export – peel, kiln dry, cut and drill to specification, brand, and pressure treat. • Develops higher skilled labor pool with higher wage levels and valuable experience.

27. Specific Elements of Plan • Seedling Nursery – plant and maintain 100,000 seedlings in first year (140,000 each year thereafter). 8 acres of unforested area suitable for fencing, tiling and irrigating. • Cut 150 acre zones from each Management Section each year, in 50 acre sub-zones • Burn each sub-zone immediately after limbs dry. • Transplant seedlings (450 per acre = 22,500) to each sub-zone immediately after burn is complete & favorable soil moisture. • Apply Herbicide where needed to retard understory competition. • Harvest roads will be placed to provide suitable fire breaks for each sub-zone.

28. Benefits to CODEFOR • More wood now and in the future. • More income now and in the future. • More Profit and less Risk. • Plans that are easier and cheaper to administer. • The work for in the forest is more regular – reducing wood theft problems.

29. Needed From CODEFOR • Prompt Approval for the “Scientific Forest Management Plan for Hacienda Guadelupe • Schedule payment for Wood Tax at time of harvest & transport

30. Conclusion • Working in cooperation with CODEFOR we can produce : • More wood volume • Better wood quality • With less time and less risk • With better value to the economy of Honduras