Important Trees of Haiti

32 Chenn
The poles commonly are
harvested from coppice stems
that sprout from mature stumps.
In the urban areas of Port-au­
Prince, the poles are used mostly
as supports for the pouring of
concrete ceilings and building
multi-story buildings. In the rural
areas, the poles are used chiefly
for house construction, both as
vertical posts and horizontal
beams and rafters. The leaves of
Haitian oak are used in a decoction
and taken orally for fevers,
dysentery, hemorrhoids and respiratory
problems (Weniger,
1985; Rouzier, 1990).
Propagation: Haitian oak is
regenerated naturally by seed that
is wind blown great distances
from the mother tree. Volunteers
left in place were the source of
60% of the trees of known origin
in the Lascahobas regIon
(Campbell, 1994). The rest were
volunteers that were transplanted
to another location. In many
areas of Haiti, farmers transplant
volunteers to more secure and
Figure 4.4 C. longissima is heavily attacked by a
number of defoliating insects. Inset - Caterpillar
feeding on C. longissima.
fertile areas of their land and thus guarantee the eventual harvest of wood. After the
mature tree is harvested, basal sprouts regenerate to provide a second, more valuable
harvest (Fig. 4.7). Up to 20% of the C. longissima stems that one tallies on a farm is
coppice. However, alternative means to propagating the species are numerous, the only
limiting factors being the technical knowledge and input costs of the various options.
Josiah (1989) summarized the methods of propagating Haitian oak utilizing containerized
systems, such as the Rootrainer or Winstrip. Problems associated with raising
Haitian oak seedlings in the nursery are I) variability in seed viability among seed
lots and seasons, 2) seed predation in the nursery by ants, rats and mice, 3) occasional
insect infestations of mites, caterpillars, aphids, leafminers and white fly, 4) occasional
fungal diseases such as leafspot (Alternaria, Botrytis, and Cercospora), and anthracnose,
caused by Colletotrichum (Runion et al., 1990). Seed germination rarely exceeds
40% in the nursery. Factors that greatly affect the seed quality of Haitian oak are many,
the most important being parent source, seed crop season and storage conditions. It is
more critical to store the seed at low moisture content than at low temperature. Moisture
content should be maintained between 5-7% (wet weight basis); storage temperatures