CO2 sequestered since 2005
The Curtis and Associates Group reached Net Zero in 2020 thanks to Gold Teak !
What is Gold Teak?
Gold Teak is a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program that was set up in 2005 at the time of the inception of the Kyoto Protocol.
Curtis & Associates wished to find a way to simultaneously benefit disadvantaged people living on Java Island, whilst at the same time contributing to the mitigation of Climate Change by the sequestration of Carbon Dioxide through an Agro-Forestry Project.
In 2005 the first 2.6 Hectare pilot project was started in Bumisari, Sukabumi Province, West Java. Seedlings from a fast-growing local variety teak tree were planted in a hilly area to see how well they would grow on steep slopes.
Later, in 2007, the Project was expanded to a 40 Hectare site very close to the village of Cibening in the same Province of West Java. The village was in a poor remote area where most families were living off the land and had a very poor infrastructure.
Gold Teak hired many of the villagers on a proper company basis and the 40hA site, which was on hilly terrain and otherwise unplanted, was cleared and made ready for planting.
In addition to the planting of teak trees, which would gain a high value, the Project intended to plant other tree varieties, fruit trees for cropping, and vegetable which would grow between the tree seedlings for a time while the trees were being established.
The first 2 Hectares were planted to different Genus types of fast growing ‘Gold’ Teak trees, in order for the relative growth rates to be measured. In addition to the local Indonesian Teak, other Seedlings were obtained from the Solomon Islands, Thailand, and Malaysia.
In an analysis of the different Genus types, it was found that the Solomon teak was the fastest growing, with straight trunks and few side branches at the lower heights. It was therefore decided to use Solomon teak for the main part of the project, and the required seedlings were created in a laboratory using the Silviculture technique.
Over the next few years, the entire 40 Hectares was planted to Teak, Acacia, Jabon and Fruit Trees.
During the early years of the Project, we invested in the local community through the re-building of the village school and the Mosque.
We are very proud of the achievements that have been made at the school, and children from there have gone on to win many local and even national awards. We welcome all of you who read this website to come along and visit us and see for yourself what has been done.
Gold Teak is a registered business and we look to make a profit from the wood that will eventually be harvested from the plantations. But it does not need to be an ‘all or nothing’ one time profit from the sale of valuable teak. Through careful thinning, replanting and replacement of harvested trees we can easily maintain the carbon sequestration rates and even improve upon them.
When a tree is cut down for wood products, at least 25% of the biomass remains in the ground and retains the stored carbon dioxide for many years to come. New tree seedlings that are planted between the tree stumps that are left after logging some trees continue will their rapid sequestration of carbon dioxide, and the contribution to Net Zero Targets will continue. A profit is made for the investor, and sequestration continues.
In order to ensure that investors can have confidence in a new project, individual trees are electronically tagged and the unique tag number together with the geo-location of the tree are stored in an immutable and verifiable distributed ledger, thereby bringing Trust and Veracity to the Net Zero Offset Projects.