GreenSage E-zine Fall 2009

Eco Harvest Wood: From Disaster To Sustainable Success
Cocobolo Lumber from Felix
Courtesy Lloyd Alter, Toronto

TIn 2007 Hurricane Felix tore through Nicaragua, destroying thousands of acres of prime forest. Greg Marsh knew the area well; he had been working with the indigenous Miskitu people since 1999. He set up a business with them to harvest the red laurel and cocobolo trees knocked down by the hurricane to export the lumber.

They worked with the Rainforest Alliance and Forest Stewardship Council to get FSC certification. This wood is nice stuff, the kinds of wood sustainable wood workers usually keep away from because its often sourced from rainforests under threat and cut illegally.

How big a supply is there and how long will it last? "Twenty-five years" was Mr. Marsh's answer.

They have set up a nursery too, planting four trees for every one they harvest, replanting areas cleared by the hurricane. This are nice hardwoods from indigenous peoples who are properly paid: that is a wood you can feel good about. The indigenous people who salvage the wood have been provided with the tools and skills required for this job and are paid a fair market value for their labor.

The Eco Harvest Wood Company provides this Felix-felled lumber and products manufactured from reclaimed wood destroyed during Hurricane Felix. All products are manufactured in an ecologically friendly manner from reclaimed wood that would otherwise be destroyed. They also provide plantation wood which has been harvested and managed in accordance with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and The Rainforest Alliance guidelines.

Beginning some 40 miles north of the coastal town of Bluefields on the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua at the base of the Cordillera, the very northern beginnings of the Andes Mountain range, lies some of the world's last untouched Coastal Rainforest. The density of this forested area is often equal to the deepest Amazon. It was into this area that Eco Harvest Wood Company founder Greg Marsh ventured in 1999.

At the invitation of the Autonomous Indigenous Miskitu community of the south Atlantic Coast in Nicaragua, Marsh undertook a five year adventure: Living and working with the Community, he aided in developing the Coast's first large scale Environmental Impact Study, at the same time improving the quality of life for its members. The final Study was approved and registered under all Municipal, State and Federal levels of government in Nicaragua. The Miskitu were being introduced to the modern world.

The exclusive tribal area comprises some 25,000 acres of essentially virgin forest. Through the 5 years, Marsh acquired the technical and working knowledge of the wood species native to the area, as well as the insight that can only be learned from living in the Miskitu Community. This incredible depth and experience has shaped the Corporate Vision of Eco Harvest Wood Company.

Forest Management is a feasible and effective option for natural forest conservation. It helps contain the environmental degradation caused by agricultural incursions and illegal logging. Key concerns of the Miskitu are the advancement of community life through fair wages and technology transfer as well as the enforcement of sustainable forestry practices.

With the wealth of knowledge and experience we have gained from this project, we have turned our attention to working with the Miskitu and other indigenous groups to building an export business in more plentiful, lesser known species of salvaged exotic lumber. All of our wood is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

Certified Salvaged Lumber
The vast area damaged by Hurricane Felix in September of 2007 needed to be evaluated from an environmental viewpoint. Once this was achieved with assistance from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), the Rainforest Alliance and other NGO's, the most effective mechanism for monitoring the retrieval of the lost wood was through the "controlled" process of guaranteeing the origin of the lumber and ensuring sound extraction and replanting practices.

Cocobolo: (Dalbergia retusa) It can be the color of dark chocolate; it can be brick red and ivory white all in the same board foot sample. The look and effect can be stunning. Descriptions of sapwood, color being "variable in color" are gross understatements. Some descriptions read; "The wood becomes deep red with irregular markings of purple or black and various colors of the rainbow." The grain is usually straight but is occasionally interlocked and finely textured. Because of its high oil content it is very stable after seasoning and resists water absorption. Cocobolo is reported to be very durable and is highly resistant to marine borer attack. Repeated immersion in soapy water has little effect - it only darkens its color. The natural oils tend to completely seal the wood and its hardness locks it in. This is evident when the wood is rubbed with a cloth. Cocobolo is extremely dense (it doesn't float!). The wood has a natural, oily finish. It requires no finish coat of varnish, shellac or any kind of sealer. Cocobolo does not soak up water readily, and therefore does not swell when wet, nor does it change size appreciably due to variations in temperature.

Ipe: This is one of the most durable and beautiful woods in the world. Its range of rich coffee colors and tones has made it the number one choice of woods to be used in the most famous of homes. The heartwood is slight yellow to olive with an overall chocolate hue. The look of this wood can be either plain or beautifully variegated and figured with a fine grain that's straight to wavy. It polishes to a high sheen having great depth and beauty. Ipe is used for fine furniture, cabinet work, paneling, flooring, gunstocks, decorative veneer and joinery.

Red Laurel: The heartwood is reddish brown while the sapwood is slightly lighter in color with a grain straight to interlocking having a striped or ribbon-like appearance. Its grain gives it a mahogany-like look but is much heavier. The wood is very strong and elastic. It's somewhat easy to saw and work using hand tools and fairly easy to plane. It is excellent for turning, mortising, boring, molding and sanding; however, nailing the wood without boring holes first can be difficult and is not recommended. The wood is capable of producing an excellent finish after at least three layers of sealer is applied due to the size of its pores. Because of the wood's natural beauty, a transparent finish is advised. Red Laurel is a very durable wood that is resistant to decay, funguses and termites in hot humid conditions without treatment. For this reason it is well suited for both indoor and outdoor applications. It is often used for the manufacture of high quality furniture, veneers and is a fine marine wood.

Amber Madera: The heartwood varies in color from pink or yellowish pink to brick red or rich reddish brown. It has a medium texture and uniform grain that's generally interlocked. The wood works easily and yields smooth surfaces on straight-grained material. The heartwood is generally rated as durable with respect to decay resistance but is very susceptible to dry-wood termites. The wood is widely used outdoors in the tropics for general construction as long as it is used up off the ground. It is a good wood for flooring, furniture and in boat construction.