Gästbloggare
#5 Yesterday I talked with a representative of the Plan Vivo project in Bolivia. We talked about trees, different types of trees.
The one that stuck in my mind was Palo Maria, otherwise known as Calophyllum brasiliense or Jacareuba. Ten percent of the forest area in the Bolivia Plan Vivo project is planted with Palo Maria.
This tree has some rather special properties. It’s a hardwood but the timber is lighter than other hardwoods so it’s good for ship-building. Apparently it was important for the countries that colonised South America because timber from Palo Maria could absorb the force of cannonballs.
But the reason that Palo Maria stuck in my mind yesterday was connected to climate change. I learnt that this tree is unique amongst commercial timber trees in being able to grow with its roots in water. It can also grow in poor and rocky soils and survive in deserts. Since we were talking about trees and climate change, this is really significant.
People in Bolivia are experiencing climate change: wetter wet seasons, drier dry seasons and stronger winds. Last month 38 people died and 6000 hectares of crops were destroyed by flooding in the country. In this context Palo Maria has so much to offer. As well as providing all the usual benefits – soil improvement, carbon sequestration etc – and valuable wood at the end of its life, Palo Maria can survive in a changing environment. For me, planting these trees is a climate solution that’s well worth supporting.
You can find out more about the Plan Vivo project in Bolivia here.
Detta är inlägg 5, dag 5 i initiativet #blogg100 som går ut på att skriva ett blogginlägg om dagen med start den 1 mars 2014. Detta är inlägg 5 av 100.
