Coast EcoTimber (A local competitor in Panama)

Coast EcoTimber (A local competitor in Panama)

The company’s attentions turned to Panama in 2009 when Arnie Dewitt (Alana Husby's business partner) suggested tapping into the vast stands of eco-friendly timber that were submerged in Lake Gatun reservoir during construction of the Panama Canal in 1913. Dewitt soon forged a partnership with a Panamanian company that uses scuba-diving lumberjacks equipped with hydraulic chainsaws to harvest underwater timber (which is not waterlogged but instead is preserved perfectly intact by the water, which protects it from air and insects).

The venture required an initial investment of about $200,000, most of it dedicated to chainsaws, barges, manpower and special air bags used to float logs to the surface. Coast Eco pays royalties to the Panamanian government based on the volume of wood it harvests each month, and the company is committed to reinvesting its initial profits in the operation, which now employs about 40 people, Husby adds.

Working with a local company allowed Coast Eco to secure government approvals much faster than would have otherwise been possible, Husby says.

http://www.bcbusiness.ca/natural-resources/co...lode#close

Ten pages of images dealing with underwater logging in Panama

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