The other day we joined a nursery and field tour with a group of international forest productivity folks. After a "brief" office meeting (Uruguayans have an entirely different sense of time) we went to the nursery where we saw tiny eucalyptus cuttings being planted. Since their main planting seasons are May and November (and these cuttings will then be ready for the subsequent season in the following November or May), and we were a little ahead of their usual busy time, they set up a small operation that day mostly so we could watch the process. We crowded around this poor guy like a bunch of authentic tourists and snapped photos while he worked. Fortunately most of the group were South Americans, so they could speak fluently with everyone and ask questions, unlike some other fun tourist groups.
We then headed out to the field so these guys could see some of the hydrology research going on in the area. There is a group associated with us that is measuring water quality and quantity in plantation and unplanted areas to better understand the effects our plantation forests have on the typical water regime in Uruguay. The best part of this tour was trying to lead a humongous tour bus down the dirt road into the La Corona area, and then onto a "grass" road to one of the experimental sites.
Juan Pedro stayed clear of the bus driver after he parked, afraid he would be berated for making the driver go on these roads. Two of us were driving field trucks, and a minivan also made the trip, and we were all unscathed.
As you can see, some of these people were enthralled with the research...
The group was large, the discussion was in Spanish, and the meeting went on for a LONG time. I lost track of what was being discussed...
...so I decided to watch this guy down the hill from us instead...
Why is there a nice mowed area along that fence? What are they keeping in or out?
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