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Ancient chroniclers say that some 500 years ago, half a century before the Spanish conquest, the Peruvian coast was covered in dense forest. It is even said that you could walk from one valley to another without leaving the shade of the trees. There were huarangos or faiques, willows, sapotes, molles and above all great carob groves. Woodland animals were abundant and varied, the men of that time understood and made use of the forest products.

When the Spaniards arrived on the coast the demand for firewood and charcoal grew. Acres and acres of carob forest were felled to burn in the kitchens, foundries and smithies. On the great haciendas and rural estates taxes could even be paid in charcoal... The forest began a retreat which continues today.

Some of the wooded areas, considered relics, or isolated copses of what were once extensive natural forests, are still of benefit to man. Areas such as Alto Piura, Cerros de Amotape, Olmos and especially Batan Grande and Pomac in Lambayeque retain large areas of dry forest and the State has made them into protected areas giving them - at least on paper - the protection they deserve.

The carob tree (Prosopis pallida), like the huarango and palo verde, belongs to the legume family, a characteristic of which is that they retain nitrogen in their roots, improving the soil in which they stand. Considered a blessing by those who are familiar with their qualities, they thrive in desert conditions where practically no other plant manages to survive. Every few years the climate phenomenon known as El Niño brings frequent rainfall to the desert. Then thousands of carob seeds that have lain dormant in the sand start to germinate.

Shortly, out of nothing a green mantle covers the desert. The shoots grow be developing their roots at a rate ten times faster than their leaves, penetrating the subsoil in search of moisture. Once they have found it they have no more need of rain, which is why you can find robust and healthy carob trees in the driest corners of the desert where not even cacti can survive. It is said that carob roots have been found to penetrate nearly two hundred feet below the surface.

The carob tree is distinguished by its squat appearance, thick twisted trunk and branches stretching out in the oddest directions. Its ample umbrella-like canopy consists of millions of tiny compound leaves making it look like a giant bonsai! In contrast to its appearance and the inhospitable conditions in which it lives, the carob is anything but weak or fragile. Its timber is one of the hardest and strongest there is, very dense and with a handsome grain (brown heartwood and yellow sapwood) it has been used for parquet flooring and structural timbering. Carob wood beams can be seen to this day in some pre-Hispanic buildings and temples.
 

The sacred carob

Its abundance of small yellow flowers support colonies of bees which produce abundant high quality honey. Its fruit pods, known locally as algarroba, hang in their thousands from each branch and are considered a gift of nature. The pods contain a high percentage of protein and sugar (up to 40%), minerals, fiber and vitamins (B complex) that are essential for human and animal sustenance. Algarrobina, an extract obtained from the boiled fruit, has a high energy value and is recommended as a fortifying dietary supplement. An inexhaustible series of products can be extracted from the algarroba.

All of this is in addition to the environmental benefits deriving from forests of carob and associated species: sand and water retention, soil improvement and others. Nevertheless, and ironically, the carob has been felled without thought for these benefits. Together with guayacan (a hardwood much appreciated by cabinet makers and the building trade), hualtaco (used for parquet flooring), sapote (for handicrafts) and palo santo (used to make fruit boxes) the prodigious carob is being killed off for firewood and charcoal.

Although there are a dozen pieces of legislation prohibiting the extraction of timber from the natural woodlands of the north until 2015, felling goes on continually. As if that were not enough, certain businesses in Lima, such as chicken grills and other restaurants and even vendors of firewood for camping are "proud" to announce that they use carob wood! No further comment needed.

 
 
  Author: Walter H. Wust.
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