Alvaro Redondo-Brenes
Contact Information:
708 Orange St. Apt. 1
New Haven, CT 06511
Country:
Costa Rica
Education:
Master in Forestry Science Candidate 05, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies; BS in Forestry Engineering 99, Technological Institute of Costa Rica
Last Position:
Project Manager at La Selva Biological Station in Sarapiqui, Costa Rica. The project was about dynamics and composition of second-growth forests. It was conducted in collaboration with the University of Connecticut, the University of Virginia, the Technological Institute of Costa Rica and the Organization for Tropical Studies.
Other activities:
I have published 5 articles and I am working with some colleagues in four more papers. I have also presented more than 15 talks in seminars, conferences, and universities in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
Research Title:
Aboveground biomass and carbon sequestration estimations using allometric models in mixed and pure native forest plantations in Costa Rica.
Objective:
The main objective was to estimate aboveground biomass and carbon sequestration using allometric models in mixed and pure native forest plantations for nine species in the Atlantic lowlands and in the North Huetar Region of Costa Rica.
Field work and expected results:
I worked from May 17 to August 15 in Costa Rica. The research was conducted on three different locations La Selva Biological Station and Sarapiqui County in the Atlantic lowlands, and San Carlos County in the North Huetar Region. The nine native species that were evaluated are Callophylum brasiliense, Vochysia guatemalensis, V. ferruginea, Jacaranda copaia, Virola koschnyi, Dypterix panamensis, Terminalia amazonia, Hyeronima alchorneoides, and Balizia elegans. A total of 35 farms were selected and 231 permanent and temporal sample plots were evaluated. The area of these plantations varies from 0.1 to 30 ha, and most of them were established with governmental incentives such as the Payment for Environmental Services from 1990 to 1995.
In every plot, I measured the diameter at the breast height (DBH) and total height of every presented tree. The DBH and total height will be used to estimate the biomass and carbon sequestration using the allometric models developed by Montero and Montagnini (2004). I expect to finish data analysis during this semester and write my master’s thesis and couple of articles for the end of next semester. Results of the present research will enhance the criteria elaborated with previous research findings in order to improve species choices for reforestation and silvicultural management in Costa Rica, and in other regions with similar ecological features. Moreover, they will enhance the concept that tropical plantations can serve diverse economic, social, and ecological functions that may ultimately help reduce atmospheric CO2 accumulation (carbon sinks).
