Yale PRORENA Reforestation(ongoing at Rosario Organic Farm)

In June 2004, the Liquid Jungle Lab Inc. (LJL) and the Native Species Reforestation Project (PRORENA) of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies signed a professional services contract for staff training, native seedling production, and experimental native species plantation design, establishment, and monitoring (Annex 1).

The services described in this contract include (1) the training of LJL personnel in nursery management and plantation establishment techniques, (2) technical assistance in the design and installation of a modern containerized seedling nursery, (3) the production of seedlings of 13-21 species for planting in experimental plantations, (4) technical assistance in the establishment and care of these plantations, and (5) the collection of data regarding plantation establishment success over a period of four years.

This suite of services was designed to provide LJL with the infrastructure and personnel to successfully produce native tree seedlings and successfully establish native tree plantations. The 2.6 hectares of experimental plantations established in 2004 were designed to test the initial performance of a variety of high-value and rare tropical hardwoods under the range of site conditions likely to be encountered in the lands owned by the Bahia Honda Company. The results of these trials will help to identify the best-performing species for the region, and will aid in the design of future reforestation efforts.

In 2005 The Native Species Reforestation Project (PRORENA) of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the Yale School of
Forestry & Environmental Studies provided a suite of services to the Liquid Jungle Lab

• 11 site visits by PRORENA professional staff to evaluate nursery operations and experimental plantations, to identify local seed sources, and to provide technical assistance and professional training to LJL personnel in the production and care of seedlings and plantations
• Re-measurement of 144 experimental plots (2,880 individual trees) planted in 2004 by a field crew of 3 PRORENA technicians
  The design of 4.2 hectares of mixed-species plantations along the Pixvae Airstrip and in unplanted areas around the 2004 experimental plantations at Finca Rosario, and supervision during plantation establishment
• The design of ¼-hectare revegetation plot in an area excavated and left bare during the construction of the Pixvae Airstrip
• The provision of 3,200 native tree seedlings of difficult-to-produce species for planting in 2005.
• The provision of 3 kg of seed of 4 timber species to the Rosario Nursery for the production of seedlings in 2005.