The beginning of the teak plantation (Tectona grandis)
Creation of the Forest Reserve / 1990 – 2000
The deteriorated terrain needed an urgent change. The forests and the land needed to recover and the soil needed to regenerate. Because of this need, the forest reserve begins to take form. Thousands of trees are planted. Mainly teak (tectona grandis), and gmelina or beechwood (Gmelina arborea), are planted, which two decades later will be used for the construction of Macaw Lodge. All activities developed in the land are focused on inclusiveness of the locals. Employment begins to increase in the communities surrounding the area.
The landscape acquires more forest cover, the soil starts to have nutrients, the water basins are protected and the biodiversity is slowly recovering. These changes happen thanks to the reforestation and the successive regeneration of the secondary forest. The environmental services of the reserve (carbon sequestration, water body protection, biodiversity protection, sustainable and aesthetic use of landscapes) are all recognized by the Costa Rican government program promoted by FONAFIFO, the Fund for Forest Financing. Nonetheless, the establishment of the pure timber plantations in rows without vegetative covering in the lower strati is still not as attractive for wild life.