Our Reforestation Program

The reforesting and manufacturing operations of Reforest Teak are located in Surubres de Parrita, Puntarenas Province, on the central Pacific coast between Carara and Manuel Antonio National Parks.

The first eroded cattle pastures to become part of our reforestation efforts were purchased in 1992. Planting began with more than 70 varieties of trees, including a number of endangered native species such as mahogany, purpleheart, and cocobolo rosewood. Our selection included the best species, seed sources and genetics available.

Teak, (tectona grandis), also proved to be a suitable tree for our reforestation efforts and was thriving on several older plantations in the area. Because teak has the largest leaf of any tree in the world, and can concentrate rainfall, planting this variety on hillsides can cause significant erosion. Our teak trees, however, were, and continue to be planted, only in areas where they thrive without damaging the surrounding ecosystem. We prune and thin our trees with scientific efficiency to ensure straight, stable, and color matched selection, guaranteeing the highest quality of teak in the world. This is the wood that goes into making our Reforest Teak line of superior furniture and accessories for home and garden.

At the core of our efforts is a commitment to the most restorative forestry practices based on innovative and forward thinking strategies for ecological reforestation. At the same time, we will carry on our fifteen year heritage of supporting meaningful social and economic benefits within the local community.

The restorative forestry practices of Reforest Teak take into consideration the retention of ecological integrity and interdependent biodiversity of the regions where we work. Our plantations have been awarded certification by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), through our reforestation partner Diamond Teak. FSC endorsement assures consumers and stakeholders that our wood products come from forests managed according to FSC’s Principles and Criteria of Forest Stewardship, and constantly strive toward more sustainable practices.

We currently employ one hundred people fulltime. We provide above market wages, social security benefits and a pension plan that is unique to the area and designed with special consideration to women’s benefits. Our efforts, we believe, are helping to raise awareness locally about the rewards of well managed reforestation. And our vision is for local inhabitants to move forward with a continuing sense of stewardship for their woodlands, and enjoy the environmental and economic rewards of conservation that can improve the quality of life for their families and community.

We welcome visitors! We hope you’ll join us for a living and learning adventure, tour an extraordinary rainforest, and get to know our operations and our community in Costa Rica. We look forward to showing you around!