Puerto Rico Hardwoods started as an enterprise to reclaim hurricane-damaged wood and to restart a wood industry on the island. The work to turn salvaged trees into valuable local timber has earned recognition and investment, beginning with the 2016 EnterPRize Sustainability Award from Grupo Guayacán and the Aireko Foundation. Since then, support from the USDA Forest Service, DDEC, Re-Grow Puerto Rico, and a solar energy grant has provided approximately $395,000 for milling and drying equipment, a tractor, an excavator, and expanded solar power. Together, these awards and grants have strengthened the company’s capacity to recover wood, improve product quality, reduce waste, and build a market for Puerto Rican hardwoods.
24 May 2016 — EnterPRize
Sustainability Award: Awarded by Grupo Guayacán and the Aireko Foundation
for rescuing discarded trees and transforming them into valuable local hardwood
products.
PRH was created and developed by Andrés Rúa (2nd from left) and Thrity Vakil (3rd from left). As founders of the Agroforestry Development Advisory Council (CADA) in Puerto Rico, their broader vision is to promote sustainable forestry in Puerto Rico and convert unwanted trees into a valuable resource. They are also both Directors of Tropic Ventures Sustainable Forestry and Rainforest Enrichment Project.