Saturday, February 25, 2006

Buttressed Tree Roots

We saw this fascinating tree at a place called Hacienda Baru, which is a couple of kilometers north of Dominical, on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Those roots are the same height as my mother, who is about 5' tall.

It is thought that the reason rainforest trees developed these shallow roots is to give the tree a broad base of support under windy conditions. Another theory is that these roots are an adaptation to the shallow rainforest soils, so that the roots seek nutrients near the surface.

If you knock on the roots, it is obvious that they are hollow.

Sunday, February 12, 2006

Mile After Mile of Oil Palms

On the Pacific Coast road, south of Jaco there is an almost unbroken landscape of oil palm plantations. Palm oil is used in chocolate, bread, potato chips, detergents, cosmetics, sunscreen, margarine, shortening, baked goods, soups, crackers, candies and is used an enormous amount in the fast food industry.
(this picture is from Costa Rica Conservation Trust website)

According to the report Cruel Oil, How Palm Oil Harms Health, Rainforest and Wildlife palm oil is an alternative to oils that are high in trans fat. However it is more conducive to heart disease than olive, soy or canola oil and the World Health Organization is discouraging its use. "If current trends in palm oil consumption continue, that oil’s global impact on public health will increase greatly."

Not only is the oil a health risk, but presents environmental problems too. Reading the report Cruel Oil is a real eye-opener:,
"Once oil palm has replaced the immense variety of hundreds of species of trees, vines, shrubs, mosses, and other plants found on every acre of lowland rainforest, most animals can no longer live there. An oil palm plantation is, in effect, a “biological desert.” As an industrial plantation crop, oil palm is grown as a monoculture. Most of the other plants found are low-growing ground cover. Without the rainforest’s plenteous variety of fruits, nuts, leaves, roots, nectar, bark, shoots, and other plant materials to eat, most animals cannot survive. And, without plenty of plant-eating prey animals such as deer to hunt, carnivores such as tigers cannot survive either. The plantations provide habitat for only 20 percent or less of the previously resident mammals, reptiles, and birds."

Why do we need junk food? Why do we think we need makeup? Why can't we just get by with less?

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Photos of Costa Rica

After a number of starts and stops, I now have the photos of the trip on this nice website. These pictures were taken with my son's camera, after mine was "relocated".

Thursday, February 02, 2006

Living Fence Posts

(This picture was found on the very interesting website of Finca Leola, a site about reforestation in Costa Rica.)

Living fences are a favorite subject of mine, so I was very happy to see them in Costa Rica. What are they? A stick is put in the ground and it takes root. It is the beginnings of a tree. Willow works very well for this in cooler climates. In fact the fedge (a hedge-like fence) is gaining popularity in gardens in the UK and North America.

In CR live wood sticks are put in the ground and then barbed wire is attached to them. No need to worry about digging big post holes or eventually replacing the posts. You just have to prune them back yearly if you want to keep them short, but as you can see in the picture, pruning is not necessary.

These living fences contribute to the enviroment in so many ways: shade for animals, shelter for the birds and help with air pollution. They are also cheap to establish and it is difficult for people to drive their car through a living fence!

Why aren't more of us using living fences?