Timber for our future
Through including timber trees in the plots of land, our projects can help to generate long term revenue for the producers who often see this as an alternative means of financing their children’s education, a comfortable retirement or simply a way of adding value to their land. When necessary, some of the trees can also be used to meet the producers’ own timber needs (furniture, construction, cooking…).
We prioritise species which are endemic to the region and hold recognised commercial value and species diversity to ensure medium- and long-term revenue thereby ensuring a staggered income over time. In total, around twenty local species have been chosen including Spanish cedar, baboonwood, Colombian walnut, shaina, tonillo, bolaina and capirona.
To ensure sustainability of the sector we help local producers to manage all aspects of the reforestation process. Our field engineers support the acceptance and recognition of seed-bearing trees on the land plots and encourage local harvesting of the seeds used on the project. A programme of monthly training sessions covers the stewardship of self-run nurseries and activities to build awareness of responsibly managed land reinforces the benefits of reforestation. Lastly, SERFOR (the body responsible for forest management in Peru) runs training on forestry and assists the producers in achieving certification for their trees to ensure their commercial plantations are legally recognised.
It is through this process we aim to generate a virtuous circle in which producers actively pursue reforestation and progressively and regularly reap the financial rewards from the sale of their timber produced through responsible forest management on their land.
