Beginning some 40 miles north of the coastal town of Bluefields on the Atlantic Coast
of Nicaragua at the base of the Cordillera, the very northern beginnings of the Andes
Mountain range, lies some of the world's last untouched Coastal Rainforest. The density
of this forested area starting around Sumi Lagoon and the Kurinwas River and north to the
Rio Grande River is often equal to the deepest Amazon. It was into this area that Eco
Harvest Wood Company founder Greg Marsh ventured in 1999.
At the invitation of the Autonomous Indigenous Miskitu community of the south Atlantic Coast in Nicaragua, Marsh undertook a five year adventure: Living and working with the Community, he aided in developing the Coast's first large scale Environmental Impact Study and at the same time improving the quality of life for its members. The final Study was approved and registered under all Municipal, State and Federal levels of government in Nicaragua. The Miskitu were being introduced to the modern world.
The exclusive tribal area comprises some 25,000 acres of essentially virgin forest. Through the 5 years, Marsh acquired the technical and working knowledge of the wood species native to the area, as well as the insight that can only be learned from living in the Miskitu Community.
This incredible depth and experience has shaped our Corporate Vision.
Forest Management is a feasible and effective option for natural forest conservation. It helps contain the environmental degradation caused by agricultural incursions and illegal logging. Key concerns of the Miskitu are the advancement of community life through fair wages and technology transfer as well as the enforcement of sustainable forestry practices.
With the wealth of knowledge and experience we have gained from this project, we have turned our attention to working with the Miskitu and other indigenous groups to building an export business in more plentiful, lesser known species of salvaged exotic lumber. All of our wood is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
Certified Salvaged Lumber
The vast area damaged by Hurricane Felix in September of 2007 needed to be evaluated from an environmental viewpoint. Once this was achieved with assistance from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), the Rainforest Alliance and other NGO's, the most effective mechanism for monitoring the retrieval of the lost wood was through the "controlled" process of guaranteeing the origin of the lumber and ensuring sound extraction and replanting practices.
At the Eco Harvest Wood Company, we place a very high priority on respecting the certification process as well as building fair markets with our products - products of the highest quality.