(CNN) -- True or False: More carbon dioxide is good news for trees as it will boost growth levels. The answer is: FALSE Trees evidently need carbon dioxide (CO2) to survive, and in some cases plant life can benefit from increased CO2, but over time more CO2 does not necessarily mean more life. Some experiments have found that exposing plants or trees to enhanced levels of CO2 have resulted in higher growth levels, but according to the New Scientist, these bursts in growth "have tended to level off within a few years" because of other factors, often related to water or nitrogen levels - and notably, temperature. Higher CO2 levels will bring climate changes to different regions which will have a direct impact on plant growth, to the extent that in some cases, any advantages increased CO2 levels may have on plant life could be counteracted by the impact of increased CO2 levels on the weather. This has been shown in the tropics, for example, where the majority of the world's rainforests lie. A study of rainforest plots in Panama and Malaysia found that an increase in temperature of 1 degree Centigrade actually reduced tree growth by as much as 50 percent.   

Source: GreenBiz.com PANAMA and CHINA, Mar. 30, 2007 -- Two reforestation projects, intended to improve the immediate ecosystem as well as fight climate change, have received the first certification under comprehensive new standards launched by the Climate, Community & Biodiversity Alliance. The projects, on Panama's Pacific Coast and in Tengchong, China, together cover over 3,000 acres of land, with the Panama project expected to grow to over 10,000 acres in the next decade. The trees planted in these areas will together remove over 850,000 tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere over the next 30 years. Certified under the Carbon Forestry Project Standards, these projects go beyond Kyoto Protocol requirements and meet 15 criteria that ensure they will help mitigate climate change, conserve biodiversity, and improve socioeconomic conditions for local communities. "We are thrilled to have the first two of many anticipated forestry projects to be certified under the CCB Standards," said Toby Janson-Smith the director of Climate, Community & Biodiversity Alliance. "After all the hard work by some of the world's top NGOs, companies and research institutes ... it is satisfying to see the CCB Standards making a real difference on the ground." (more)    Click Here To Read The Full Article (537 words)

Darien, Panama – A milestone in the history of forest conservation has been marked in the dense tropical rainforests of Panama’s eastern Darien region. As part of a sustainable forest management and trade project coordinated by WWF, the region’s first sustainable harvesting plan has been launched, ensuring that forest areas are cut in 25-year cycles. “This ensures that logging does not exceed what the forest can regenerate,” said Mauro Salazar, WWF Central America’s Forestry Director. Under the plan, a limited number of mature trees are harvested the first year in one forest area, cutting only four to five trees per hectare so that the forest’s ecological integrity is not harmed. The oldest seed-producing trees are not cut down so as to ensure the survival of the species. The following year logging would be allowed in a second area so that tree species in the first area could regenerate. A similar practice will continue in other areas throughout the forest over a 25-year logging cycle. When this cycle comes to an end, a new one will start again in the first area. This model is based on the “Forests Forever” concept which takes into account the principles and criteria of the Forest Stewardship Council, the world’s leading forest certification organization. (more)    Click Here To Read The Full Article (242 words)

By Susan Whitney for the Deseret Morning News - Fifteen years ago, Phyllis Coley and her husband, Thomas Kursar, decided they had a moral obligation to save the rainforests of Panama. But they realize now that they were quite naive. They were (and are) biologists at the University of Utah, doing the kind of research that is standard in biology. Coley knows a lot about plant physiology, and Kursar knows a lot about ecology, but neither is an expert at discovering new pharmaceuticals. Neither has a degree in economic development. And yet because they spend four months of the year in the tropics of Panama, they were the ones to realize, in fact, it is possible to save the rainforests. They realized drug research could trump logging. Coley and Kursar may have been the first to envision first- rate laboratories being built in Panama, laboratories that would lure Panamanian-born scientists back from their careers in the United States and Europe. They were definitely the ones who went out and got grants and made it happen. Although, they explain, they knocked on doors for five years before they could find anyone to listen. Coley and Kursar's story is glamorous in some ways and not so glamorous in others. (One nonglam detail: They job-share, which means they each work 80 hours a week and get paid for 15.) They will tell their story on Tuesday in a talk titled "Ecology, Drug Discovery and Conservation: Research in the Panamanian Rainforest." Theirs is part of a series of lectures sponsored by the Utah Museum of Natural History and the Nature Conservancy.   

Futuro Forestal is a private German-Panamanian Reforestation and Forest Services Company that has spent the last 11 years developing and refining an innovative investment model based on ecologically and socially sustainable reforestation in the tropics. Futuro Forestal offers investors the chance to own a forest that produces high yield, fine tropical hardwoods. The sale of the wood, seeds, as well as carbon credits enables the savvy investor to make a substantial profit while contributing to a socially and environmentally sustainable project. Investors receive fully titled land, planted with up to seven species of valuable tropical hardwoods, AND the forestry services of Futuro Forestal for 25 years. Profits of 6-11% IRR can be obtained on a 25 year term. Futuro Forestal was founded in 1994 by German geographer Andreas Eke and his Panamanian wife Iliana Armién, forest engineer. Futuro Forestal has successfully reforested over 700 hectares of pasture land in Panama’s Chiriqui and Veraguas Provinces. The areas selected for reforestation were originally covered by forests, and have since been deforested and used for agriculture and subsequently for cattle ranching during the last decades. The multi-species approach of Futuro Forestal promotes biodiversity by planting six native forest tree species with high commercial value plus Teak and up to 50 other native species forest trees with less commercial value, which increase ecosystem stability and habitat biodiversity.   Click Here To Read The Full Article (1,526 words)

By Caitrýona McBride: Green Belt manages 160,000 acres of forestry across Ireland and plants more than 10,000 acres of new forests each year. Its customers include Irish farmers and private and institutional investors. Maurice Ryan, managing director of Green Belt, said Panama was chosen for its political stability and climate. ‘‘I spent three years researching this project and Panama was by far the most attractive location in Central America,” he said. ‘‘It’s politically stable, the tropical heat is perfect for teak and land is affordable.” Ryan said teak was one of the most sought-after types of wood in the world because of its natural strength and durability. ‘‘Teak is always popular for furniture and floors and we were searching for years for the right plantation. We had to find a foreign location because Irish land will not sustain teak,” he said. Green Belt is looking for investors willing to put up at least €50,000 each. ‘‘That is the least amount that you would need to make it worth your while,” said Ryan. ‘‘This would plant six hectares for the investor, which we then manage.” The company promises a return to investors of more than 12 per cent per annum over the 18-year investment period. Ryan said some people were investing money in the scheme as a pension fund.   Click Here To Read The Full Article (290 words)

By Tony Hetherington: FINANCIAL Mail readers were warned against it. Investment watchdogs in a dozen countries issued public alerts about it. But still the president of Panama cosied up to Prime Forestry, a shady Swiss company that claimed to offer 14% annual returns to anyone who put their savings into growing teak trees. Now Prime Forestry has been declared bankrupt and a political scandal is developing in the central American state as links emerge between the government and a Zurich businessman named as a one-time Mafia associate. Prime Forestry attracted an estimated £26m from more than 3,000 investors, many in Britain. They were told it would take 20 years for their trees to mature and be sold, but interim payments could be withdrawn after seven years. The company also claimed to be working on an ecological project with Yale University and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. However, last week the Smithsonian said: 'The Smithsonian and Yale University have no relationship of any kind with Prime Forestry.'    Click Here To Read The Full Article (2,893 words)

In a message dated 11/20/2004 11:50:00 PM SA Pacific Standard Time, akospm@pro...(snip) writes: IL recommends United Nature for teak investment to get a visa. This method would work well with me but after the McMurrain scandal I'm worried about trusting anyone. Does anybody have any good experience with teak in Panama?    Click Here To Read The Full Article (1,264 words)

There's still another way to legally obtain your residency visa -- by investing $40,000 is a recognized and authorized reforestation program. There are many things to consider before going down this road, however...   Click Here To Read The Full Article (766 words)