Is teak and mahogany lumber available in DR?

Caribee · #1 03-26-2003, 12:49 PM

I'm preparing to purchase farm land in DR.....hopefully in the 4 or 5 hundred acre size range. I will be importing considerable farm machinery and tools.......and am wondering if I should bring my portable band saw mill. Recently, while pricing construction lumber in Puerto Plata, I over heard the manager suggest to a local customer, who was complaining about high prices...."Why don't you use teak or mahogany as it is much cheaper" Unfortunately, my Spanish language skills were not suffecient to follow up with conversation.......
My questions:
Is teak or mahogany lumber being sawed anywhere in DR, either from local or imported logs? If so........where and by whom?

Is it legal in DR for a property owner to harvest suffecient trees from his own land to saw lumber for construction use on the same property.......ie. house, barns, etc. ?

Hillbilly · #2 03-26-2003, 05:25 PM

IF you have mahogany on your land you will need premits to cut it down. There is not teak grown here. it is possible for you to farm precious woods, however, and you need some legal and bureaucratic help to do that. It is maybe a 20-25 year project...

You can buy mahogany from Honduras and other countries here. You are going to buy 4-500 acres? Here? Hope you have deep pockets...

Please do an archive search about importing equipment.

Ignorance of the taxes is not an excuse...

HB

Caribee · #3 03-26-2003, 06:52 PM

Thanks HB for the knowledgable response.....Much Appreciated.
I read a post somewhere in the forums.......that farm equipment
could now be imported duty free.....with advice to contact Senior
Osmar Benitez, VP, Junta Agroempresarial Dominicana.......
Also that a once in lifetime exemption is available for household
goods for those moving to DR.....exemption to include TOOLS....
one uses in his or her occupation. For sure......I will thoroughly
check into exact regulations prior to shipment. I don't think I would cut any Mahogany trees from my own land......as it goes against my instinctive feelings for preservation of ecology. I was thinking more in terms of fast growing pine trees or some such for construction purposes. Perhaps the lumber yard manager in Puerta Plata was just jerking the customer's chain.......for complaining........LOL

Hillbilly · #4 03-26-2003, 08:22 PM

As for wood, go to the biggest or one of the biggest impoirters. Ochoa, in Santiago..they even have their own Womanizing plant...

As for faster growing trees, in fact any tree, you have to get permission to take it down...And if you are going to grow them for fun and profit, you need a project approved by Foresta, Environment and Industry.

Lots of paper,

HB

sjh · #5 03-26-2003, 08:37 PM

I just want to know more about this womanizing plant

mobrouser · #6 03-27-2003, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by sjh
I just want to know more about this womanizing plant

best known as a supplier of breast implants to those who are "flat as a board".

mob

ps: some varieties of mahogany are extremely fast growing, although they may not be native to RD. perhaps someone in the dept. of agriculture (or equivalent) could direct you towards more info.

Hillbilly · #7 03-27-2003, 11:44 AM

"Womanizing" refers to the placing of soft woods like pine (yellow or southern) in vacuum chambers, and then introducing copper/arsenic based chemicals into the vacuum to protect the wood against rot and "visitors"..

I haven't seen a Womanized label for years, but I think that is how it is spelled??

HB

mobrouser · #8 03-27-2003, 03:20 PM

sorry hb, we were having a little fun at your expense.

"wolmanizing" is the manufacturer's patented process and trademarked name, more commonly called pressure-treating.

mob

Tom F. · #9 03-27-2003, 06:08 PM

My brother and sister-in-law have land up in the mountains from SFM near Quita Espuela. Plan Sierra, and Fundacion Quita Espuela paid for labor brigades to plant a couple 10,000 which my in-laws paid for. There is Honduran mahogany, some kind of pine and oak. They are supposed to harvestable in 12 years and will be a very good investment if a hurricane doesn't plow through there some day. I guess it is his retirement. They are about 4 years old now and doing well.

Tom F.

Hillbilly · #10 03-27-2003, 06:31 PM

Wolmanizing!! Ok, Wolmanizing....

Like I said I was working from memory and that ain't always the best guide!! LOL...

HB