Mahogany and Teak
We are pushing ahead with our reforestation and timber programs considering we have to find out about timber prices at regular intervals. Our visit to the Timborana timber store in Davao on June 19, 2020 not only showed that mahogany is a wonderful wood, but also that there are no limits to its needs. At the beginning of 2020 the price per board feet was 37 Peso (0,66 Euro), now it is only 34 Peso (0,61 Euro). What impact does this price have on our investors? This is easy to calculate: A 12-year-old mahogany tree has a wood yield of 212 board feet and now costs 7,200 Pesos (128,80 Euro) for the wood trade. You will receive significantly more than we calculate as a payment for your 36 percent, i.e. over 46 Euro.
It is very reassuring for both sides that we work with prices in line with the market and that we do not raise profit expectations that cannot be reached. It also shows that the selection of our types of wood (mahogany and teak) was the right decision. Falcata trees grow faster and require almost no maintenance, but are so far behind in price that it is not lucrative to invest in this type of wood. Falcata trees are more suitable for family farms, not for a timber program to protect the forests.
Hip-high growth no longer affects these 5-year-old trees, it even stimulates the activities of the microorganisms. Simon on the left, Evangelyn on the right.
The first price drop since 2015. Due to the Corona turbulences, many construction activity has declined, as have timber orders. The price will be back soon.
Mahogany in the drying chamber on the lumber yard. After felling and transport, many steps are still required to work out even planks out of a tree.
Looks very valuable, but the price per board feet for Falcata strains is low. The wood is mostly shredded for paper or for intermediate layers of cheap plywood.
Mangroves
Since mid-2019 we have been planting more mangroves to bind CO2. 1,.45 million mangroves have already been planted in the Gulf of Davao by Mama Earth, including the 55,000 mangroves that we planted in Mati in late 2019 / early 2020. Here is a small video:
We are still very active in Mati, Davao Oriental, where we are currently preparing a large mangrove project. The preparatory work is almost complete. Five foresters measure properties that have been released to us by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
We are trying to bundle 120 hectares into a nature conservation park and have made pretty good progress. Do not be squeamish to donate mangroves. You can get 60 mangroves for 20 Euro. Carolyn Azuzena Acera (photo left), our partner for reforestation, is the chair of the women‘s organization, which has hundreds of members in 16 small towns along the coast. The plantations are documented by the Maritim College in Mati under the direction of Dr. Lea AngSinco-Jiminec.
Investor Simon from Australia visited us and said that every Australian should join Mama Earth, because the devastating fires on the continent should cause a change in thinking.
The older trees are numbered with paint. All other attempts to make it cheaper have failed. The young trees have number flags that we attach with clips.
