After planting the first of their Caribbean pines, Lugari and his team realized that the golden resin produced by the bark of these trees can be turned into rosin, which is widely used in a variety of commercial products and could be sold to generate income for the village. The resin naturally regenerates beneath the surface of the bark, and, if extracted properly, the trees are not damaged. With the support of several international and domestic grants, they expanded the forest and developed sustainable practices for harvesting, refining, and packaging the resin. In the two decades since, production has increased to 1,500 tons of rosin a year and generates 80% of the community’s revenue.
Resin harvested from the Caribbean pine plantation is processed and turned into rosin, providing income for the community.
