Wishing all our friends around the planet a wonderful start to 2012 and continuing success in all activities that promote and encourage biospheric consciousness.

VOLUNTEER GROUPS
Thanks to Earthwatchers from USA, Canada, France, and The Netherlands this season for great help with our scientific data collection with ongoing tree thinning studies and herpetological surveys. We are really pleased to welcome, as an Earthwatch co-PI in 2012, Jimena Forero Montaña, a Ph.D. candidate in Natural Sciences, Biology. University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. Her thesis is entitled "A thinning management plan for a mahoe (Talipariti elatum) plantation in the Las Casas de la Selva enrichment and sustainable forestry project, Puerto Rico." Dr. Mark Nelson enjoyed Thanksgiving with us and spent days out in the field with Team 5.

EARTHWATCH
Earthwatch Team 5 Nov-Dec 2011
Earthwatch Team 6 Dec-Jan 2012
L: Jimena Forero joins us as a Principal Investigator in 2012. R: Lead PI, Dr. Mark Nelson in the buttress of our giant Ceiba tree.

2011 Herpetological Study Highlight- The top highlight from the 2011 season was the discovery and confirmation by Norman Greenhawk of the “Coqui guajon”, Eleutherodactylus cooki, (above header), in a cave in the wilderness zone of our Icaco Valley.  E. cooki is a highly specialized frog that lives only in caves and rock crevices (“Guajonales”) adjacent to rivers.  This finding adds another species to the roster of confirmed reptiles and amphibians at Las Casas de la Selva. 

Scientific studies & objectives in 2012

Objective 1.  To examine the effectiveness of thinning techniques in our current plantings of Mahoe and Mahogany.

Objective 2.  To examine the effectiveness of liberation thinning on maturation and volume of tree crops in secondary forest areas. To evaluate methods to transform the structure and species composition to increase productivity and value by applying silvicultural treatments such as cutting out non-commercial species, improvement thinning or regulating natural regeneration.
 
Objective 3.  To continue monitoring development of the line-planted areas to see impacts on economic viability, tree density and growth at later stages of their growth cycle.
 
Objective 4.  With the results of the first three, to provide important information for the development of guidelines for the sustainable management of secondary forests in Puerto Rico and other tropical countries.
 
Objective 5. To conduct herpetological studies focused on identifying which species of reptiles and amphibians are present at Las Casas de la Selva; to determine the population density, population fluctuations, microhabitat utilization, and the effects of forest management on the herpetofauna of the forest.”

Objective 6. Seedling community composition in the blue mahoe and mahogany plantations at Las Casas de la Selva, Patillas, Puerto Rico.

Cutting Board by Andrés Rúa, Hardwoods of Puerto Rico: $68.00
$80.00 includes shipping to USA, $100 includes shipping to UK
Woods L-R: Teak, mahoe, caimitillo, mahoe, caracolillo, mahoe, ausubo, mahoe, teak, mahoe, carracolillo, mahoe, caimitillo, mahoe, teak. Dimensions vary between 10"-12" x 10"-14"
Wondering how to support sustainable forestry?
ORDER NOW (one for yourself and a couple for some special friends!)
Each piece is made to order, so be patient and order in advance of special dates if you are sending a gift. We can ship to your recipient.