Frequently Asked Questions
Where are the trees planted?
TreeBanking, Inc. plants the trees on deforested land which we purchase in tropical nations such as Ecuador, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Guinea, etc.
Which types of trees do you sell?
TreeBanking, Inc. grows teak and many native species. We grow natives on slopes and teak on flat areas. We also grow mahogany. We plant 10% mahogany within plantings of teak and of acacia, because that's the best way to grow it.
How many trees do you plant per hectare?
Typically 816 trees per hectare so that the first harvest will be large enough trees to have value as lumber.
Can I buy trees that are already planted?
Depending upon what time of the year you plan to purchase trees, you may be buying trees that are already planted. For example, if you purchase in August, you may be purchasing trees from that season’s planting if we haven’t sold out by then.
Why don’t you plant trees in other times of the year, like December or February?
In the tropics there are two seasons: dry – from January to April, and rainy – from May to early December. We plant trees three months from the start of the rainy season (which varies from year to year but is around June or July).
Why don’t you sell the land with the trees?
To sell the land would be contrary to one of the main goals of TreeBanking: to reforest the land such that a permanent perpetual forest is created.
Can I buy a specific block of native trees rather than mixed tropical hardwoods?
An investor may request a specific native species. We can accommodate most requests. However, some trees are best grown as part of a mix.
Can I see my trees from the Internet?
There is usually too much cloud cover for a satellite view, but we will provide the coordinates. We are in the process of installing Google GoMaps on our website. This will give clients a view of exactly where their trees are planted. We can also send owners the latest pictures of their trees.
Can we visit the plantations?
You are welcome to visit the plantations at any time. We are also planning to build cabins on the plantations, for tree purchasers who wish to visit their trees.
Is there any insurance company that will cover my trees?
We have discussed insuring the trees with a few insurance companies, but have not found one that suits our clients needs. Just so you know, teak is fire resistant after two to three years, and in our contract we have a replacement guarantee on our clients trees for two years.
If 10 of my 20-year-old trees suddenly die am I out of luck or would you give me 10 other 20-year-old trees?
That would be a completely risk-free investment with an internal rate of return of 20%. The lowest-risk investments available (FDIC insured) return around 4% or 5%.
If your 10- to 20-year-old trees were to suddenly die, they would still have value as wood. You would not be out any money, since the trees would be harvested. You would not have future value, but it would be assumed that you would take the money and reinvest it elsewhere.
What are some of the risks to tree plantations?
Fires are extremely uncommon, due to daily rainfall.
Good field hygiene, fire roads, etc. are things we do (and are required by law) to further reduce the risk. Should a forest fire happen on the plantation, teak is naturally resistant to fires and even after the most tremendous fires will appear to die, only to revive a few weeks later.
How often are the plantations paroled for poaching, vandalism, pest management, etc.?
Theft almost never happens here when someone is on the property, so each farm has a full-time, live-in caretaker/manager that is within earshot of a chainsaw.
Farm managers and their crews are on the farms every day. Because of the rate the trees grow – and everything else (like weeds and brush) – it’s necessary to inspect frequently to grow the best possible wood. They watch for disease and if any develops (rare), they immediately deal with it.
They also keep (and build up) the wild areas between the trees. This provides natural barriers so that disease does not spread from one planted field to another. Hurricanes very, very rarely come that far south.
How do you guarantee this is happening?
TreeBanking personally benefits from it – We ourselves own thousands of trees among those of our clients. We treat all trees equally, and the workers do not know which ones are our trees and which ones belong to others.
What kinds of discounts do you offer?
What are the payment methods you utilize?
Personal and cashiers checks
What happens if an owner doesn’t like the looks of their trees?
By contract, TreeBanking's trees are guaranteed until the first harvest.
When we plant, we overplant by 10% at our expense. This is because between 5 to 10% of trees are expected to be defective. We keep you with 100 good trees of the same age by planting 110 -- and the defective trees are replaced with a mix of different types of trees for the perpetual forest.
Some of these are very good for lumber, some for food for wild animals, and many are both (some produce food for people too!). These trees are slower growing than the plantation trees and also usually require shade to grow correctly. These will make up the base of the permanent rainforest.
This means that there is never a clear cut -- when the last of your trees are removed, there will remain smaller trees randomly spread that will be allowed to fill in with the perpetual forest. The only harvesting that will occur from this point on will be dead, diseased, or damaged trees, or if we get too many of a certain type that needs to be thinned to encourage more diversity.
A search on “continuous cover forestry” will get you more than you can probably read on the subject. The wood removed will be used to pay for workers -- it will be processed into either lumber or furniture.
As we displace cattle, we have to make sure the forest produces jobs so that it is seen as more valuable than farmland. If we don’t do that, there will be pressure to cut down the forests again.
We will replant until the first harvest. We normally do not measure off people's trees for the first year, so that the best trees can be selected for tree owners.