Teak (Tectona grandis) has been grown for more than 100 years, so it is a mainstay for many plantations. it is considered a very valuable wood because of its ability to withstand weather. It even prevents any metal used in it from rusting. Teak is very stable, which means that it does not warp when subjected to variations in humidity and temperature.
Teak is not native to Central and South America but grows very well there. There are many monoculture plantations of teak in those areas. It is a pioneer species; in other words, it prefers no competition, so for the first few years, it has to be cleared of weeds and kept from being shaded. After about three years, the trees are large enough to shade out competing vegetation. Teak requires very good drainage and rich soil. It prefers a dry season of about three months.
Teak is usually planted when the seedlings or clones are four to six weeks old. At this time, about 96 trees will fit in a 1-meter flat. Teak grows amazingly fast, particularly for a hardwood. Those of us from northern climates are used to hardwood trees taking forever to get any size. In the tropics the teak seedlings are growing at half an inch per day.
Teak rapidly puts on height as well as diameter. After the trees start gaining height, you must prune the lower leaves. The most valuable trees are those that grow straight and tall with no limbs in the trunk area. By pruning away all except the top 1/3 of the leaves, you create superior wood. Because teak grows so fast, the plantation needs a lot of attention for the first three years.
Teak produces between 12 to 26 cubic meters in volume of wood per year. The price for teak has been going up steadily for many years, at a rate consistently over 6% per year. Currently, teak buyers from other parts of the world are having difficulty finding as many teak logs as they would like to buy from Costa Rican plantations.