Valuable tropical woods commonly known in the world grow here:

•  Almond (Almendro Amarillo)

•  Bocote (Laurel)

•  Brazilian Cherry (Guapinol)

•  Cristobal 

•  Mahogany (Caoba)

•  Purpleheart (Nazareno)

•  Ron-Ron (Jobillo)

•  Rosewood (Cocobolo)

•  Spanish Cedar (Cedro Amargo)

•  Teak 

•  Tempisque (Danto Amarillo)

•  Zapote

 

Some other additional exceptional quality tropical wood species, lesser known:

•  Bala de Cañon

•  Balsamo

•  Caobilla (Cedro Macho)

•  Cedro Maria

•  Cenizaro

•  Espavel

•  Jicaro (Olla de Mono)

•  Manu

•  Pilon

•  Roble Coral

•  Roble Sabana

•  Sura (Guayabon)

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Rainbow colors: 

The colors of the woods that grow here are like a rainbow:  reddish, orange, pink, yellow, olive, purple and black.  

 

We grow trees with among the hardest and softest woods known on the planet.  The wood of Guayacan Real is so hard and dense that it sinks in water, while the wood of the well-known Balsa Wood tree is so light that it is used in real and model airplanes.

 

The tree known locally as Sura, or Guayabon, has a very smooth, tan-colored trunk and periodically sheds its thin bark just like a snake sheds its skin. This method is extremely efficient to shed all climbing vines which might otherwise hinder growth or kill the tree.  As a result, trees of this type have a high survival rate and grow quickly to an enormous size.

 

Few of a kind: 

Unfortunately even types of trees have become rare or in danger of extinction,  Oasis Reforestation Reserve has about 24 species of this type, and we hope they can serve in the future to preserve the species:

•  Areno

•  Bala de cañon

•  Balsamo (small leaves)

•  Balsamo (larger leaves)

•  Camíbar

•  Cativo

•  Cocobolo (Dalbergia retusa)

•  Cocobolo de San Carlos (Vatairea erythrorcarpa)

•  Cola de Pavo

•  Cristobal

•  Guapinol

•  Guayacan Real

•  Jícaro de Danta del Volcan Tenorio

•  Manu

•  Manu platano

•  Nazareno

•  Ojoche (B. Alicastrum)

•  Olla de Mono

•  Pilon

•  Pinillo

•  Tabacón

•  Tamarindo (Dialium guianense)

•  Tempisque (Danto Amarillo)

•  Tostado

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One of the biggest and main plantations of Ojoche tree:

The "Ojoche" tree (Brosimum alicastrum) is also nick-named the "Maya breadnut tree" because it bears a nut so high in nutrients that the Mayan Indians used it to survive on when their crop of corn failed. The nut can be eaten as-is, or boiled or roasted or even made into flour.  Also it can be roasted and used just like coffee! The taste is very similar to coffee with a hint of chocolate.  Planted anew in the forest, this tree supposedly takes 18-25 years to bear fruit, so it is lucky that there were already giant trees on the land. In fact, we have identified 8 species of Ojoche (Brosimum spp.), all of which produce edible seeds here.  In total we planted 108 seedlings of B. Alicastrum beginning in 2006 and of those about half are still alive are strong… but none of the planted ones have yet produced seeds.

 

Breadfruit tree:

The Breadfruit tree was the reason for treason in the well-known story "Mutiny on the Bounty".  Captain Bligh used the fresh water to sustain the thousand saplings rather than his crew!  Our original breadfruit tree was killed by a lightning strike and we had to replant. This type of tree is difficult to “take”, and it took several tries but now we have five. This tree species produces an enormous supply of delicious and nutritious food for humans and animals - about 100-200 fruits per year, up to 6 kg each - yet they require no maintenance.

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Chanel No. 5 as natural perfume in the forest: 

The Ylang-Ylang tree, one of the few non-native trees here, yields an oil that is used to make Chanel No. 5 perfume.  In the early years of this project, some evenings when the wind was blowing right the forest smelled like this perfume!  Now most are gone because they have been naturally reduced greatly in numbers because they are not native to this type of forest.

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One of a kind:  

A handful of tree species are unique here.  Only some are in danger of extinction but all are difficult to obtain. As there are other rare species which we do not have at all, we feel lucky to have one of each of the following types. With luck each will eventually produce seeds and reproduce:

•  Alma Negra

•  Balsamo (small leaves)

•  Balsamo (larger leaves)

•  Cafe de Palo

•  Jamaica

•  Cucaracho

•  Jorco (Monkey fruit)

•  Kinocola

•  Macadamia

•  Mangosteen

•  Vaco/Lechoso (Brosimum utile)

•  Yema de huevo

•  Nuez moscada (nutmeg)

 

Tallest tree species in the world are in Oasis Reforestation Reserve:

A tree species among the tallest in the world is native to this area.  The Ceiba tree can exceed 80 meters in height and three meters in diameter. The largest Ceiba tree here is relatively young at just over 2 meters in diameter.  Its seeds have spread and there are younger ones that are already sizable.

 

One species of fish in the stream is vegetarian and their favorite food is figs!  It was with excitement that new strangler fig trees were noticed growing on top of trees near the river in 2013.

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The 8 national trees of the 7 Central American countries grow on Oasis Reserve:

•  Mahogany (Belize)

•  Ceiba (Guatemala)

•  Roble Sabana and Balsamo (El Salvador)

•  Pine tree (Honduras)

•  Madroño (Nicaragua)

•  Guanacaste (Costa Rica)

•  Panama (Panama)

 

Almendro and Great Green Macaws:

One species of tree, Almendro (Almond) de Lapa, bears fruits that are associated with at least 60 species of birds, mammals and insects!  The wood of Almendro is so hard to cut that it requires a diamond-tipped saw.  It is currently prohibited to cut this tree in Costa Rica because it is the home and major food source for the endangered Great Green Macaw and Red Macaw.