Who are we? We are an international company founded by a Canadian family that first became involved with reforestation projects in India in 1995. Since then we have worked on reforestation projects in Costa Rica and Nicaragua and started in Colombia in 2006. Our company is called Planeta Verde Reforestación S.A. (Green Planet). Amazonia Reforestation is our South American division. In 2009 we planted 137,750 tropical trees, in 2010 we planted 129,300 and in 2011 we have planted 405,079 trees. We have plans for planting some 270,000 trees in 2012. So far we have converted 583.4 hectares or 1,441 acres into forest at our tropical tree farm, as well as preserved over 1,000 hectares or 2,470 acres of existing riparian forest as a natural reserve. More information, including pictures, can be found in this web site or by downloading our Capability Statement.

How does the reforestation program work? We invite people committed to improving the environment and providing expanded habitat for endangered wildlife to join us as Joint Venture Partners ("JVP") in our financially sustainable afforestation and reforestation program. As a joint venture partner you provide the money for us to plant trees you purchase in your name. We operate the tree nursery, prepare and fertilize the soil, plant the trees, care for and maintain them through to maturity, harvest and sale in 10 years' time. Tropical trees are a low risk high return green investment for the future.

What are the program's main eco-benefits? Our program expands habitat for endangered wildlife, does carbon sequestration (CO²) from the atmosphere, combats climate change facts, seeds clouds to cool the Earth, does nitrogen-fixing in poor soils and supports green education at a local and international level. We are committed to teaching both local people and visitors to the plantations and to our natural reserve about the benefits of conservation and good forest management. Most important of all, the more plantation wood we produce and sell in international markets, the less old growth rain forest will be cut down.

How does this make money? In 10 years the tropical trees you purchased are mature and will be harvested and the hardwood lumber sold for you at a significant profit. The international hardwood products market has seen steady growth since the 1940´s, with more people and less available wood fuelling global demand for everything from building materials to furniture and from pulp and paper to renewable biomass fuel.

Why do we cut down our hardwood trees? Returning extremely poor soil to rain forest is a very long and difficult task, and it can take up to 50 years of structured forest management and tree planting before it even begins to look like true rain forest. Known as a primary ecology, these areas are sandy and nearly dead soil that lacks nutrients and organic layers. Our biology and forest management teams use specific hardwood trees, which are a mix of nitrogen-fixing trees, litter trees, fruit trees and native trees species, that all help to rebuild the organic layers and draw endangered wildlife back into the area, enhancing soil recovery. After 10 years the initial plantation species must be culled out to make room so that more delicate species can be planted. Many rain forest trees cannot survive in the current soil conditions and can only be introduced after soil and overhead shade cover is re-established in the area.

What is so special about 10 years? The primary plantation trees that we harvest from the tree farm, mainly Acacia mangium and Eucalyptus pellita, have such a fast growth rate they begin to rot and break down after about 12 years, leaving the wood useless if left planted for any longer. Acacia mangium are good lumber trees, but are also very good at nitrogen-fixing in the soil. Both Acacia mangium  and Eucalyptus pellita are most effective at carbon sequestration from the atmosphere within the first 10 years of their lives. The 10 year cycle we employ makes good biological and economic sense.

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