The importance of forests

Ever since our world has been a world, native forests have been indiscriminately exploited by man. There has been an everincreasing demand for wood, coupled with the mistaken belief that the world’s natural resources are inexhaustible. This situation has been no different in Brazil.

Nature is finite. With this reality, the importance of planted forests as an ecological alternative for our planet and our country becomes more critical. We Brazilians live in a privileged land. With the enormous availability of sunlight, water, and fertile soil, we live in a place where Pero Vaz de Caminha (a Portuguese explorer who accompanied Pedro Álvares Cabral in the discovery of Brazil) told the King of Portugal, "when planting, anything will grow."

Forest plantations have been criticized in the past. Today, they are more valued as they can guarantee the coexistence of the remaining natural biomass. In fact, approximately one-third of the area belonging to forest companies in Brazil, Aracruz included, is covered and preserved solely with native vegetation. These areas are protected as legal and permanent reserves. Intermingled with the commercial plantations, those protected forests preserve and encourage the growth of a wealth of local fauna and flora species.

In Brazil, 220 million hectares of land are occupied by pastureland. In addition, 92 million hectares are suited for agriculture use, but are still unused. About 61 million hectares are occupied by other agricultural crops such as corn, soybeans, oranges, and coffee. Forest plantations (eucalyptus, pinus, and other tree types) occupy 5.7 million hectares (of this, about 60% is eucalyptus).

This is the reality that the Aracruz Research and Technology Center deals with and presents in this publication. Our objective is to show the most recent knowledge regarding eucalyptus plantations to contribute to the enrichment of the discussion about the eucalyptus culture and its importance for the socio-environmental development of Brazil and its people.

In addition to the background information about eucalyptus in Brazil and in the Aracruz plantation areas, we present the results of several initiatives developed by our researchers in partnerships with other research centers and universities.