Certificated wood products are important for preserving the environment

By Andrew McCarthy
-Paid Partnership-

In this globalized world, the demand for products made from wood is constantly increasing, even though wood from natural forests is a depleting resource.

A responsible consumer, aware of the importance of preserving the environment should always demand that the wood products made with wood that grows from replanting are controlled by reforestation processes.

Reforestation is an operation that consists of cultivating forests to repopulate or create areas of forest mass, made up of woody species that can be used to manufacture all kinds of products.

So, companies that manufacture wooden products like furniture, floors, houses among many others have the responsibility of using only certified wood grown from forest plantations.

In Costa Rica, a group of artisans, who formed the company Fine Furniture Of Sarchí, use only 100% certified teak wood produced in controlled forest plantations.

The small town of Sarchí, in Alajuela Province, is known for its beautiful mountains and the production of high-quality handmade crafts.


The small group of artisans from Fine Furniture Of Sarchí managed to produce first-rate handcrafted furniture with original designs in addition to making furniture following the specifications of their clients. In times of coronavirus, artisans are also offering home delivery everywhere in the country.


Artisans are hand-making furniture for living rooms, patios, bedrooms, dining rooms and kitchens with the environmental protection commitment in mind.

Intending to protect forests and avoid illegal logging, the Ministry of Environment developed the National Plan for Forest Development.

The main benefits of planting trees are oxygen production, making soil more fertile, avoiding erosion, keeping rivers clean, collecting water for aquifers, serving as refuges for fauna, reducing soil temperature, promoting the establishment of other species, regenerating soil nutrients, among many others.

The main goal of the plan is to increase the area of natural forest in the country, in addition to increasing the areas used for forest plantations. It is then that the wood from forest plantations meets the country's goals in protecting natural forests.

According to the National Plan in 2005, Costa Rica had 51.4% of the territory covered with forests. It was the first country in the tropics to stop deforestation and recover its natural forest areas.


The Environmental Services Payment Program, PSA, based on the principle that the polluter must pay, financed primarily with 3.5% of the single fuel tax has compensated the environmental services of more than 728,000 hectares of forests. Of these 65,000 ha in indigenous territories and the planting and care of more than 40 million trees, with an investment of more than $190 million in rural areas.

In the last five years, forest plantations have produced almost four million cubic meters of logs, equivalent to 70% of the volume processed locally. This means that there is still a leak of 30% of wood products that are being made with non-certified wood from natural forests.

The forest plantations, in addition to protecting natural forests, address more benefits such as generating 20,000 direct jobs with a contribution to the economy of more than $250 million.

The National Forest Development Plan reported that: “Between 2000 and 2005, the growth of forests, forest plantations and the recovery of new forested areas mitigated some 55,808 Gg of CO2, about 11,161 Gg of CO2 per year, almost double the emissions generated by the use of energy in 2007. More than 70% of carbon stocks are on privately owned land.”

Fine Furniture of Sarchí artisans call on the public to purchase furniture made from 100% certified wood produced in Costa Rica. Readers can learn more about this artisan group by emailing rafaeladolfoarias@gmail.com or calling the administrator Adolfo Arias at 506- 8831-4306.

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Have you heard about illegal logging in your community for making wood products?   We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com

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