No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchiveCountry Could Suffer Wood Shortage

Country Could Suffer Wood Shortage

By next year, Costa Rica will be unable to supply wood for 50% of its internal demand because illegal logging and insufficient reforestation efforts have meant the nation’s harvestable tree plantations have nearly run out, according to an estimate from the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE).

According to the Vice-Minister of Environment and Energy, Jorge Rodríguez, Costa Rica goes through 800,000 cubic meters of wood each year, of which 64% comes from plantations. Another 30% comes from ranchlands and illegal logging, and 6% – 48,000 cubic meters – comes from primary or secondary forest, the daily La Nación reported.

While the Environment Ministry estimated this shortage could mean $115 million in additional costs yearly for the country to meet the demand for wood, Alfonso Barrantes, director of the National Forest Office, said builders and mill owners would be forced to import 400,000 cubic meters at a cost of $200 million yearly to keep up, La Nación reported.

To avoid a wood shortage, Rodríguez said the ministry would carry out a program to “promote reforestation and forest management and push forward the modernization of the forestry industry and the fight against illegal cutting.”

This would include allowing for increased harvesting of primary and secondary forest. Rodríguez told La Nación that the government would authorize harvesting six or seven trees per hectare in 20,000 hectares of primary and secondary forest outside of protected areas.

The program will include new legal mechanisms, institutional programs and training of workers in new technology to manage forests, the statement said.

Luis Diego Marín of the Flora and Fauna Conservation Association took issue with MINAE’s plan, saying he doubted that Costa Rica had enough hectares of land outside of protected areas to adequately supply the demand. He added he fears the government would turn to vast forest reserves in the Southern Zone, near the Golfo Dulce gulf, on the Pacific coast, the daily reported.

–Tico Times and ACAN-EFE Reports

 

Trending Now

Costa Rican Hotels Warn of Job Risks Amid Drop in Tourists

Hotels across Costa Rica face mounting pressures as tourist numbers dip and a sluggish dollar exchange rate eats into their earnings. From January to...

Costa Rica Women’s National Team Coach Steps Down Amid World Cup Push

The Costa Rican Soccer Federation dropped a major update this week: Spanish coach Beni Rubido is stepping down from his role with the women's...

Cost of living in Costa Rica from a U.S. Expat

Paradise doesn’t come cheap. Cars, gas, appliances, phones, TVs often cost more in Costa Rica. But not everything. Here’s a simple, like-for-like look at...

Costa Rica’s Air Travel is Evolving with Route Shifts

Airlines are reshaping their paths to Costa Rica, with some Latin American carriers pulling back while others from Canada, Mexico, and Europe step up...

Costa Rica’s Hyatt Centric Escazú Finalist in GRI Awards

Costa Rica's hotel scene keeps building momentum on the global stage. The Hyatt Centric San José Escazú stands out as a finalist for Best...

Four Arrested in Costa Rica for Suspected Murder of ‘Gringo Tico’

Authorities in Costa Rica have detained four people linked to the robbery and suspected killing of Daniel Francisco Vargas Salas, a 71-year-old man who...
Avatar
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica