Determining the optimal harvest cycle for copaíba (Copaifera spp.) oleoresin production

• The optimal harvesting cycle of copaíba oleoresin is unknown.
• Either maximizing NPV or oil production, the optimal cycle for copaíba is three years.
• Under non-deterministic hypotheses, this optimal cycle does not change.
• The opportunity cost of not choosing the optimal cycle does not seem to be very high.

Copaíba oleoresin is a medicinal product obtained from several species of Copaifera trees (Copaifera spp.), and it is used for its healing and anti-inflammatory properties. Oleoresin is extracted via holes drilled into the trunks of copaíba trees, which are then plugged and periodically harvested in repeated cycles. To date, the optimal harvesting cycle and the factors that influence oleoresin production are unknown. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to analyze various harvesting schedules to determine the optimal cycle in an attempt to obtain maximum oleoresin production or the maximum net present value associated with production. The study took place in Paragominas, Pará (Brazil), and based on the resulting data, a set of alternatives for 1- to 5-year cycles with a planning horizon of 10 years was created. The data were analyzed within two different contexts: a deterministic one and another scenario that assumed that certain variables exhibit non-deterministic behavior for which a Monte Carlo simulation was used. Based on the available data, three scenarios were proposed that differed according to the hypotheses employed to estimate production for years when no measurements are available. The results show that, regardless of the various contexts and scenarios, the optimal harvesting cycle for copaíba oleoresin is three years, which is consistent with some previously published recommendations. Finally, the opportunity cost of not choosing the optimal cycle does not seem to be very high.