The secondary tropical semi-deciduous forests of Colombia have been developed in the last decades as a result of unsustainable management and internal conflicts. Today, the owners do not see profitability in using the forests resources and, therefore, the areas are rapidly being transformed to other land uses, creating imbalances in the ecosystem by losing the capacity to provide goods and services.In those forests, the current potential relies on the utilization of lesser known species. Those species account for 93 % of the forest species in the tropics, and their inclusion into the management activities is considered to be relevant to achieve sustainable forestry. This research focused on assessing and evaluating lesser known species coming from secondary forests in northern Colombia. Additionally, it analyzed the possibilities of utilization and marketing of those species in a local context as a way to increase the forests value and by this mitigate its conversion to other land uses.