Guajilote’s work activities included three operations using very simple technologies. First,
members searched the area to locate appropriate fallen trees. This, in itself, could be very difficult since mahogany trees were naturally rare. These trees were found at elevations up to
1,800 meters (5,400 feet) and normally were found singly or in small clusters of no more than
four to eight trees per hectare (2.2 acres).
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Finding fallen mahogany in La Muralla’s buffer zone was hampered due to the area’s
steep and sometimes treacherous terrain. (La Muralla
means “steep wall of rock” in Spanish.)
The work was affected by the weather. For example, more downed trees were available during the wet season due to storms and higher soil moisture—leading to the uprooting of trees.
Second, the cooperative set up a temporary hand-sawmill as close as possible to a fallen
tree. Due to the steep terrain, it was often difficult to find a suitable location nearby to operate
the hand-sawmill. Once a suitable work location was found, men used a large cross-cut saw to
disassemble the tree into various components. The disassembling process was a long and arduous process that could take weeks for an especially large tree. The length of time it took to
process a tree depended on the tree’s size—mature mahogany trees could be gigantic. Tree size
thus affected how many trees Guajilote was able to process in a year.
Third, after a tree was disassembled, the wood was either carried out of the forest using a
combination of mule and human power or floated down a stream or river. Even if a stream happened to be near a fallen tree, it was typically usable only during the wet season. The wood
was then sold to a distributor who, in turn, transported it via trucks to the cities to sell to furniture makers for a profit.
Guajilote’s permit to use fallen mahogany was originally granted in 1991 for a 10-year
period by COHDEFOR. The permit was simply written, and stated that if Guajilote restricted
itself to downed mahogany, its permit renewal should be granted automatically. The administrator of the area’s COHDEFOR office indicated that if things remained as they were,
Guajilote should not have any problem obtaining renewal in 2001. Given the nature of Honduran politics, however, nothing could be completely assured.
In 1998, Guajilote’s mahogany was still sold as a commodity. The cooperative did very
little to add value to its product. Nevertheless, the continuing depletion of mahogany trees
around the world meant that the remaining wood should increase in value over time.