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Fall
1995 TREE OWNERS NEWS - part two
(back to Fall 1995 Tree Owners News - part one)
We also are very excited
that we were able to find and plant cocobolo and cristobal this year. Both are incredibly
beautiful woods, and adult seed-bearing trees are very difficult to find because the wood
is so valuable.
Last year was the first
year we were able to offer cocobolo. We weren't able to find any cristobal at all last
year.
So we are very happy to
have planted both this year. We have some of each available.
We had thought that we
would not have any 1995 teak, but as you read above, we were able to plant several
thousand on the flat area of the Rio Blanco addition and on the small flat farm we bought
at Capital.
We have a few 1994 teak
available, and after that, a few thousand 1995 - not nearly as many as we had planted in
1992, 1993, or 1994 - because of the difficulty in finding good flat land at a reasonable
price. We are happy to have teak available.
Some of you have asked us
"Who all owns trees? Are they younger, or older, professionals, associated with the
wood industry . . .?" The answer is yes.
Our oldest tree owner was
85 at the time she bought her trees, and the youngest was not yet born when her uncle
bought trees for her.
These are some of the
various occupations, professions, and activities of the individuals and organizations for
whom we are growing trees: accountant, advisor, appraiser, architect, artist, arts
administrator, association manager, brand manager, botanist, builder, business owner
(large and small), carpenter, chef, chemical engineer, chiropractor, choir director,
church, computer consultant, conservationist, contractor, CPA, dentist, developer,
economist, editor, electrician, engineer, executive, farmer, foundation manager or
director, finance director, financial consultant, furniture manufacturer, gardener,
geneticist, homemaker, hospital manager, horticulturist, human resource officer,
insurance, investor, investment banker, investment manager, justice, landscape contractor,
landscape architect, lawyer, mailman, manufacturers rep., materials manager, massage
therapist, musician, nurse, nurse anesthetist, occupational therapist, office manager,
organist, orthodontist, periodontist, physician, sawmill owner (present and former),
sawmill operator , professor, proofreader, psychologist, publisher, real estate broker,
real estate sales, reporter, research engineer, restaurateur, retired, roofer, sales,
sales manager, school administrator, scientist, social worker, software engineer, student,
surgeon, systems analyst, teacher, technical writer, tree farmer, university director,
veterinarian, wood collector, wood retailer, wood turner, wood wholesaler, woodworker, zoo
director, and zoologist.
Even though your
backgrounds and pursuits are various, there is one common thread that we have experienced
from all of you - that ties us all together.
That mutual quality that
every tree owner has is a love for life and a love for this earth we live on, and a belief
that we all can make a difference.
Sherry and I feel blessed
to be associated with all of you.
One of our greatest
satisfactions is when you come down to visit your trees.
About 50 of you have now
visited the farms, and Sherry and I have had the pleasure of being there for many of your
visits.
You come from varied
backgrounds and disciplines. Some of you have counted your trees, many have not. Some have
asked very pointed questions, others have not.
We want you to feel
completely free to ask or check anything!!
Some of you have even told
us that you thought you would find a "hole" somewhere in the project.
Some have even teased that
you were happy to be able to confirm that your trees actually exist.
But regardless of your
background, profession, approach, or quantity of trees that you own, every single one of
you who has visited the farms has told us that you are impressed with the way the farms
are run and how well your trees are doing, and have exclaimed about the wonderful natural,
peaceful beauty of the farms - the rainforest, rivers and waterfalls, even the people
working on the farms - and the tranquility of not being with other tourists.
Thank you all very much for
your kind comments.
Sherry and I encourage each
of you to visit your trees and to enjoy the beauty of the farms. You can see our work, but
even more important, you can enjoy God's work.
Please call if you have any
questions. Sherry has put together a packet of information about visiting your trees,
including what to pack, a list of airlines, some hotels in San José, car rental
companies, and specific maps of how to get to the farms.
You may visit any time.
Beto has tame horses at each farm and someone to accompany you if Sherry and I can't be
there.
Now would not be too soon
to begin to plan.
We think it will be an
experience you will long remember.
Sherry and I have had the
honor of speaking before many groups and organizations about the importance of profit and
tree farming in protecting the world's rainforests.
Recently, after a talk to
the Cincinnati Rotary, one of the Rotarians asked "How much rainforest is left in the
world - how many acres?"
I knew that the world is
losing about 40 to 50 million acres of rainforest each year, but I didn't have the
specific answer of how much rainforest is left.
Never being content to not
know something, I immediately began to research - in publications, on the Internet, and in
books, including a wonderful book on rainforests that a generous tree owner just gave us.
The picture that emerged
from the research is startling. Please read this carefully!
Deforestation in the
tropics is following a course similar to the clearing of the forests in our own country,
only more rapidly.
Since just 1950, the
world's population has more than doubled to 5 billion people, with the fastest population
growth being in the tropics.
Today, 2.7 billion people
live in the tropics alone, more than lived in the entire world in 1950.
To provide food, wood, fuel
and resources to the world's growing population, and to make room for the exploding
tropical population, the world's tropical rainforests are literally disappearing.
Even with tropical
deforestation at an all-time high, tropical hardwood prices continue to climb as world
demand for tropical hardwoods continues to grow.
World consumption of
tropical hardwoods is now up to 250 million cubic meters, or over 100 billion board feet,
per year.
Southeast Asia is currently
the largest source of supply for tropical hardwoods, but that area will largely be
depleted within the next five years.
All of the primary forests
in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh are gone. Ivory Coast's forests are non-existent.
Nigeria too.
As Asia and Africa are
depleted, consuming countries are turning increasing attention to Latin America.
And yet Brazil for example,
which still has more remaining rainforest than any other country, also has a rapidly
growing population who would like to live at the same standards as the rest of the world.
The Brazilian government knows that trillions of dollars of hardwoods, oil, gas, uranium,
gold, iron, bauxite and other minerals, and millions of acres of potential farm land, lie
within the Amazon.
Brazil's rainforests are
being cleared on a vast scale, for settlements, logging, gold mining, petroleum, cattle
ranching, sugar cane (for gasohol), large hydro dams, and charcoal for smelting ore.
The clearing is also being
done by peasant farmers practicing slash and burn. To clear the land for planting, they
cut the trees, and then in the dry season burn what they have cut.
During the month of July of
this year, NASA satellite surveys of Brazil recorded 39,889 individual fires, up 370
percent from the same month last year. In neighboring Bolivia the smoke has been so
thick that schools have closed and flights have had to be delayed or canceled.
Scientists estimate that
until as recently as 10,000 years ago, the world had 6 billion acres of tropical
rainforests. By 1950, we had a little less than 2.8 billion acres of rainforest. It was
then being cut down at the rate of about 10 to 15 million acres per year.
Today we have only 1.7
billion acres left. And we are clearing this remaining rainforest at the rate of 40 to 50
million acres per year.
If the present rate of
tropical deforestation continues, there will be no rainforests left in just 35
years. The rate of deforestation however is predicted to increase even further.
Scientists project that the
rate of tropical deforestation will continue to increase for the next 10 to 15 years, and
then begin to fall because there simply will not be enough forest left to sustain the
rate.
The chart below
dramatically illustrates the fate of the world's rainforests.
If you love
the tropical rainforest as Sherry and I do (or probably even if you don't), you want not a
single acre more to be cut.
But as the world's
population, and competition for land, food and resources, all increase, that lamentably
will not be the case.
All of the predictions we
read about the rainforest refer to dates in the next century. To most of us that seems
somehow in the very distant future - but it is now only an eye-blink away.
From the early 1980's when
I began to think about the plight of the world's rainforests and the world's growing need
for tropical lumber, through 1991 when Sherry and I finalized our research for Tropical
American Tree Farms, to today as you read this newsletter, the trends continue to
accelerate.
The newest data
dramatically confirm our beliefs from a world point of view.
- tropical deforestation is a very serious and growing
problem. Scientists may disagree on the details, but they all agree that the implications
for mankind are huge - in terms of global warming, increasing desertification (the world's
deserts are now growing 27,000 square miles per year), and loss of biodiversity, to name a
few
- we must do everything we can to protect the world's
remaining rainforests
- one way to help is to plant and produce the tropical
woods that don't have to be taken from the natural forest
- as individuals, we may at times feel insignificant,
but by working together and doing all that we can, we can indeed make a difference
- and by being an example for others, we can multiply
the result
The latest statistics also
dramatically underscore our beliefs from a business point of view.
- as the world's population continues to increase in
numbers and prosperity, the demand for beautiful tropical woods will continue to grow
rapidly
- as country after country in the tropics depletes its
own supply of tropical forest and passes from being an exporter of tropical hardwoods to
having to import wood to fulfill its domestic needs, international demand for tropical
hardwoods will grow dramatically
- as the world loses more and more rainforest, and as
we pass into the next century, and "then" becomes "now," there will be
a rising imperative of protecting the little rainforest remaining
- as international demand increases and supply
decreases, either through depletion or protection, the prices of all tropical hardwoods
(most likely all woods) will soar
- there is incredible opportunity in planting nearly
any species of tropical hardwoods - and even more opportunity in planting tropical
hardwoods that are sought after for their beauty or unique properties - exactly the
species we are planting
Reviewing the earlier
statistics, and comparing them with the newest data has motivated us to redouble our
efforts.
Sherry and I believe that
every tree we can plant, and every bit of forest we can protect, is vitally important.
We must continue to get the
story out about the importance, and the wisdom, of planting tropical hardwood trees for
profit.
And then for those to whom
it just makes wonderful sense, we must do our very best in planting and caring for your
trees, and producing your tropical hardwoods.
Sherry and I ask each of
you to please help get the message out to others who may be interested, not just because
of the profits we all will enjoy - although that is a wonderful motivator - but also
because of the benefit to the world.
Together, with one-half
million trees planted, we are beginning to make a difference.
And together we can do even
more.
Sherry and I want to invite
all of you to please share with us your comments, observations and constructive criticisms
- about any aspect of your experience of being a tree owner.
We want to make owning
trees as enjoyable and profitable an experience as we reasonably can. And if you want us
to put your comments in the newsletter, please let us know.
We were deeply touched by
this lovely letter to all of you from Kevin and Dolores Kurtz, after visiting their trees
for the first time:
We never thought it
would be possible to put a lifetime of memories into a two week trip to Costa Rica, but we
did. The country is not perfect as can be attested to by the iron gates and bars on the
windows in big cities. The roads are a real challenge but, so far, the majority of the
country is unspoiled by American tourists. Our second week was spent at the beautiful
cabinas at Punta Dominical and at Steve and Sherry's three outstanding farms. For someone
that has never ridden a horse, three and a half days in the saddle (and breaking in two
horses without holding onto the reins) was an exhilarating experience, but the beautiful
scenery of the country far outweighed the saddle sores.
A few of the
unforgettable memories were: the beautiful waterfalls at Campo Real, the largest tree we
ever saw in the rainforest at Santo Domingo. The brilliant blue morpho butterfly gliding
through the forest at Rio Blanco. The beautiful birds and monkeys in the trees. The wide
variety of iguanas. The breathtaking orchids and bromeliads growing wild next to ferns as
tall as a person. The musical sounds of the forest. The superb sunrises and sunsets.
The genuine love Steve
and Sherry have for each other is mirrored in the love and respect given to and received
from the beautiful people of Costa Rica. We will always remember Beto's wife, Edita,
showing us her Christmas doll, Pedro and his dog (both with beautiful smiles), the energy
and vivacious expressions of Lucia, the old man taking his pig across the river on a
cajón, the outstanding food prepared for us and the brilliant smile of Maritza, the
wonderful sense of humor of our waiters Jorge and Douglas, and the flowers in our room and
the kindness shown by Marta.
Perhaps the highlight
of our trip was watching the energy and total dedication of Steve and Sherry while at
their tree farms. It was obvious that many years of research and planning went into this
project before the first tree was planted. Witnessing the transformation of grazing land
back into forest is truly inspiring. We were amazed at the scope of the total project and
how well the trees, especially the teak, are growing. We can only say that we feel blessed
to be a small part of this endeavor and thank Steve and Sherry for the opportunity.
Dolores & Kevin Kurtz
At the risk of being
repetitive, Sherry and I again want to sincerely thank all of you for your wonderful
enthusiasm and support!! 
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