| We have converted a cattle ranch that was once rain forest 50 years ago into a tree plantation for 75,000 hardwoods. We chose this farm because it has the combination of rainfall, slopes, and soil conditions required for our specific species. In addition, there is easy access to supplies and labor, as well as to markets in Honduras and internationally through Puerto Cortes. We’ve built a house complete with a source of fresh spring water and a eco-friendly septic system for our permanent on-site caretaker. We are entering into negotiations for more parcels of land. Our plantations are in the north-central area of Honduras, approximately 30 miles inland from the Caribbean coast, near the town of Sonaguera.
We chose this farm because it’s in the heart of a humid tropical area where our hardwood species thrive. It has the combination of slopes and soil conditions required. Annual rainfall is more than 100 inches per year, distributed mostly over a six-month rainy season, June through mid- December. This ample rainfall allows our hardwood trees to grow rapidly during the rainy season. And then during the six-month dry season, mid-December through May, the trees’ growth slows, allowing the wood to lignify or harden. This is what causes the rings, which creates their beauty.
Convenient access was another major consideration in choosing our plantations: to bring in workers, equipment, and materials; and to transport our harvests to market. We have good truck access to Puerto Cortes, the only Homeland Security port in Central America, for convenient shipping to North America, Europe, Japan and the Orient.
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