Who looks after my teak investment?

We have appointed Mantemimiento Forestales SA as our teak maintenance company of choice for maintaining your teak trees in Di Pacifico Dos. They charge €0.042 (€42 per 1,000sqm) per annum maintenance fee. You are of course free to appoint another maintenance company if you wish but all of our investors are required under contract to maintain their teak trees correctly.

Managed by Humberto Camerano, who has over 20 years experience managing teak plantations, Mantemimiento Forestales SA will ensure your teak trees are maintained properly throughout the remaining years of their growth cycle.

Humberto showing some clients Di Pacifico Dos

Without correct maintenance your teak trees will not give you the best return on your investment.

Maintenance includes removing the lower branches, clearing weeds and uneccessary growth between the trees, monitoring for disease and of course thinning the trees.

Di Pacifico Dos was originally planted with 1,100 teak trees per ha but over a 20 year growth cycle up to 60% of the originally planted trees are felled leaving approximately 400 trees per ha.

This ensures that the best of your teak trees has the abiulity to grow and produce a maximum return on your investment.

If you would like to see more about how an investment in Di Pacifico Dos can give you a Return on your investment of over 30% per annum, why not have a look at our website http://www.costaricainvest.co.uk/ or e mail us or give us a call on +353 1 272 4184

Costa Rica bids to go carbon neutral
By Claire Marshall BBC News, Costa Rica


In February 2008 , Norway, New Zealand, Iceland and Costa Rica made a commitment to go carbon neutral.


The tiny Central American country is the only developing country to have made the tough pledge to turn its economy green.


It has also set itself the hardest target with the government saying it will go carbon neutral by 2021.


"If any country can do it, it's Costa Rica," said Sergio Musmanni, who is helping to lead the government's new national climate change strategy. "We have been at the forefront of the climate change issue for years. A large percentage of our electricity... already comes from renewable energy sources. And we are in the tropics. We don't have problems heating up our homes and buildings during the winter."


Some sectors are getting behind the idea.


At a plantation on the country's Caribbean coast, bunches of bananas, Costa Rica's biggest export, are encased in plastic while growing to protect them from insects and disease.


Rudy Amador, from the Dole food company, looks up at the pale blue cocoons being cut down with machetes. "The first thing is measuring what the emissions actually are. Then we're looking at ways that we can do our agricultural practices better to reduce the emissions. In addition to production, we are also involved in transportation, so we are also looking at ways of being more fuel efficient," he said.


'Incredible growth'


One of the keys to all attempts to go carbon neutral is to find ways to off-set emissions. The Costa Rican government is attempting to do this through reforestation. The government planted what it says is a world record five million trees last year, and is aiming for a new record of seven million this year. The theory is that if enough trees are planted, they will absorb enough carbon dioxide to cancel out the country's emissions of greenhouse gases.


Many of the seedlings come from the Earth University, 80km (50 miles) east of the capital, San Jose. The private, not-for-profit institution is in more than 3,000 hectares (7,400 acres) of breathtakingly rich and fertile land.


Professor Ricardo Russo is in charge of the reforestation programme. He gestures over a wide area of cleared land, where vivid green four-month old saplings are thrusting in to the sky.
"You can see the growth here in the tropics. It's incredible. In four months, they can grow 50 to 60cm."


Professor Russo believes that planting trees is a good way to stop the planet heating up. "The tree starts absorbing carbon dioxide from when it's a seedling. Especially during the first 10 to 15 years, it's a very efficient way of absorbing carbon from the atmosphere".


Transport challenge


Costa Rica already has some progressive environmental policies. More than 30% of the country has been given over to national parks, and the country pioneered the concept of eco-tourism in the region.


However, some voice doubts over the tough time limit that the country has set itself.


"We need to be an example to the rest of the world", Alex Khajavi, Nature Air airline


"Costa Rica has been the only country in Central America ahead of everyone else, in terms of protecting the environment," said Jose Vasquez, from the World Wildlife Fund.


"I believe this is the first step to mitigate even more the impact they have on climate change. The only thing I see is a little bit problematic is by 2021. It's a huge target."


There is one overwhelming issue that needs to be addressed, particularly for a developing country. "The real challenge for Costa Rica is transportation. Most of our emissions come from this sector. We really have to start making changes in how Costa Ricans are moving, but as the economy grows, if more people want to have their own cars, we have to take that in to account," said Mr Musmanni.


There is one example from private industry. Four years ago, Nature Air began moves to become a carbon neutral airline.


Sitting back in one of the company's Twin Otter planes, chief executive Alex Khajavi looks down fondly at the Pacific coastline, the emerald hills folding down to long white strips of beach. "We are in the right position in this country to be the crucible for the changes that the rest of the world is looking for. We cannot let it fail. We need to get everyone on our side to make this small experiment in something very radical but very necessary, to work," he said.
"We need to be an example to the rest of the world".


The Costa Rican government has given itself just 13 years to turn its economy green and become that example.


See the original story here on BBC NEWS:

Published 2008/08/11 11:01:13 GMT© BBC MMVIII

Information and Location of ‘Di Pacifico Dos’

Originally a cattle farm, this finca was planted with teak trees 12 - 14 years ago. The finca is 400 ha with 2/3 of the plots already sold. There were originally 1100 trees per hectare (10000 sqm), however during the trees’ growth cycle, the thinning process may cut up to 66% of the trees, to enable the stronger trees to have more space. The stronger the heartwood the more valuable the teak, so it’s more cost efficient to remove some of the smaller trees to give more potential to the stronger ones, leaving appx 400 trees per ha after thinning.

Further information:

• Located just off the Pan-American Highway, the main highway from Alaska to South America



• 94km from Liberia International airport to the North



• 110km from the capital and international airport of San Jose to the South



• 8km from the village of Chomes with it’s local shops, cafes, and natural beach



• 30km from Playa Dona Ana, a tourist beach with facilities, cafes, restaurants, a swimming pool and the lovely new Hilton Doubletree resort hotel located there



• 40km from Puntarenas, a dutyfree port attracting tourists to its waterfront seafood restaurants and bars, as well as being the starting point for many excusion tours and ferries including excursions to the world famous Tortuga island, 10 mins from Puntarenas. This is one of the main ports of call for major cruise liners and a new marina is planned for the city.



• 80km from Jaco Beach, the 1st Central American Blue Flag beach and booming town of Jaco, with it’s new marina and 2000 beachfront condos – the developers of which have actually created the new Central Pacific Chamber of Commerce. There’s a new freeway currently under construction connecting San Jose to Jaco to cut drive times in half to the capital, and a new $3 million promenade planned along the beach.
  

Land price growth in the Vicinity

Puntarenas province North of Puntarenas experienced 31% growth in land prices in 2007.

If you would like to see more about how you can benenfit from a land investment in the hottest real estate market on the face of the planet (CNBC) and benefit from the added security of teak growing on your land, why not have a look on our website http://www.costaricainvest.co.uk/ or send us an e mail or give us a call on + 353 1 272 4184

Why invest in Costa Rica?

Costa Rica is the oldest democracy in Central and South America with the Pacific Ocean to the West and Caribbean to the East.

Costa Rica shares Central America with Panama, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and Belize

It was the first country in the world to constitutionally abolish it’s army and is an American protectorate.

The economy has been growing at 7% pa, with major inward investment via big multinationals such as Hewlett Packard, Intel, Microsoft, Abbott Laboratories, Merck Sharpe and Dome

The population is 4 million, of which 96% are literate – one of the highest literacy rates in the world, with more teachers than police

5% of the worlds biodiversity can be found in Costa Rica (i.e. 1 in 20 of all living organisms), and NASA described it as having the best climate in the world – with average temperatures of 25-30 degrees

The country is ranked 5th – 2008 Environmental Performance Index with over 25% of Costa Rica declared a protected nature reserve

There is a $1.9 billion pa tourism industry, with many American celebrities choosing Costa Rica for their pad – such as Oprah Winfrey, Bruce Willis, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lisa Marie Presley.

Land prices in Costa Rica have shot up in recent years driven by

• massive demand from mainly American holiday makers looking for their little piece of paradise, in this beautiful stable country
• foregin inward investment from multinational companies

In the best areas land has doubled year on year over the past 5 years. Of course this land price has started from very low price levels, but these increases will not be sustained forever, so invest now and benefit from the land price increases while you can!!

Read a BBC News profile of Costa Rica here.

More pictures in and around the Gulf of Nicoya

Below are some further pictures from our recent visit to Costa Rica

Planning to build on your land - why not put in a teak bar!

Departing Puntarenas on a trip to the Nicoya Peninsula



Departing Puntarenas

Crossing the gulf of Nicoya

Lovely views on the gulf of Nicoya

Arriving at the ferryport on the Nicoya Peninsula

Views from Di Pacifico Uno on the Nicoya Peninisula

If you would like to see how an investment in Costa Rica can give you projected returns of 30% CAR with the security of teak on your land and development land in the "hottest real estate marekt on the face of the planet" (CNBC Europe) why not have a look at our website www.costaricainvest.ie or send us an e mail, or give us a call on +353 1 272 4184 and speak with our advisors

Pictures of Di Pacifico Dos

Below are some recent pictures of Di Pacifico Dos.

Di Pacifico Dos is right on the Pan American highway (that's it passing the gate)





Some of the farm buildings on Di Pacifico Dos

View towards the sea from Di Pacifico Dos.

A lorry load of recently logged teak thinnings awaits departure to the port from Di Pacifico Dos

One of the grass plots in Di Pacifico Dos (available for immediate development)

Some of the Di Pacifico Dos planation workers

Some of the recently logged thinnings await collection

Examinining a "Pochote" tree on Di Pacifico Dos ( not a good tree to bump into!)

Close up of a Pochote tree

The entrance to Di Pacifico Dos

View towards the sea from Di Pacifico Dos

Teak Growth rates

I came across this letter, albeit written in 1996, by Dr. Raymond Keogh, from the International Teak Unit of An Coillte, which is the Irish National Forestry Organisation.

GROWTH PROJECTIONS

TEAK GROWTH RATES -- A RULE-OF-THUMB
by Dr. Raymond Keogh

Dear Colleagues;

I feel that the debate on growth rates of teak has gone on to long; growth rates for this species are well known and it is time to make this abundantly clear!

The question of growth rates in teak plantations has become a contentious issue in recent times. It is of crucial importance to teak growers and investors because timber production forecasts and financial returns depend on accurate predictions. Fortunately, we know more about teak growth rates n plantations than any other tropical hardwood. Growth and yield studies began in earnest last century and continue today. Growth is normally expressed interns of cubic metres per hectare per year and highest growth rates are normally expressed in terms of maximum mean annual increments (note: maximum current annual increments, which are higher than mean annual increments are not normally used in timber forecasting as they would produce erroneous predictions over the life of the crop).

A very tolerable rule-of-thumb can be applied across the tropics regarding highest growth rates in teak plantations. This rule-of-thumb does not change for wide definitions of stem volumes. GROWTH RATES WHICH EXCEED AN AVERAGE OF TWENTY CUBIC METRES PER HECTARE PER YEAR IN TWENTY YEARS ARE UNLIKELY TO BE ENCOUNTERED. In other words, only in exceptional circumstances will the total production of stem woody material exceed four hundred cubic metres in twenty years.

Growers and investors must base their predictions on avarages and not exceptional growth rates. Most practicing foresters in the tropics would be content to encounter an average annual growth rate of ten to fifteen cubic metres per hectare per year over twenty years on all their plantation site. Through good site selection and the planting of genetically improved seed, growers can boost avarages and avoid poor producing sites.

Genetic improvement may boost growth but is an expensive long-term activity. Growth may also be boosted in some cases by fertilizer application, but the identification of the necessary chemicals and their optimum rates of application are not fully understood. At the present state of development in teak, it would be unwise to expect that average growth rates can be boosted to reach or surpass the maximum rule-of-thumb growth rate for teak throughout the tropics. Even if it were possible to do so, it would be wise to have a clear understanding of the effects of this increase on wood quality.


Raymond M. Keogh
Teak 2000
1 May 1996.


Have a look on our website www.costaricainvest.ie and see how you can benefit from the returns on teak and the profit potential of development land in Costa Rica.