Utilization, wood yield and carbon loss of Cordia alliodora residues from natural regeneration in cocoa (Theobroma cacao) and banana (Musa AAA cv. Gros Michel) plantations in Talamanca, Costa Rica.

The harvesting rate (1997-2005, nine years) of naturally regenerated laurel (Cordia alliodora) trees in 40 cacao plantations (36.3 ha) and 28 banana plantations (8 ha) indigenous to Talamanca, Costa Rica, was evaluated. Standing carbon, carbon harvested in the form of sawn wood and carbon lost as harvesting residue were estimated. Producers manage natural laurel regeneration and maintain 50-55 trees ha-1 containing 3.13 7.28 t ha-1 of standing carbon. In each hectare of cacao plantation and bananal, households harvest one laurel tree every three years, with a dap of 51 cm, from which they obtain 3 m3 tree-1 of total stem volume, equivalent to 1.05 t tree-1 of biomass and 0.57 t C tree-1 . Seventy-seven percent of the C per tree is lost during chainsaw sawing of the trees, equivalent to 73 kg ha-1 yr-1.