Eucalyptus stands and natural forest planted side-by-side

Veracel: Restoring the Atlantic rainforest makes sound economic sense
 

By Jyrki Iivonen in Eunápolis, Brazil
    

 "We are not responsible for the mistakes of the past, and nor can we be blamed for the destruction of the rainforests", says Kaisa Tarna, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager for Veracel. [Finnish lumber company]

      
Only half a century ago, the southern part of Bahia was all rainforest
and nothing else, but in the 1970s a road was driven through the state.
This opened the door to the loggers of timber companies and to
cattle-raising operations. In the space of two decades, the natural
forests were cut down almost to the last stump.
    

    Veracel owns around 150,000 hectares of land,
of which roughly half has been set aside for fast-growing eucalyptus
trees and the remainder for conservation and environmental protection,
seeking to bring about the recovery of the Atlantic forest. "The
company is ultimately only quite a small landowner. There is more land
on offer, so Veracel is not an obstacle to possible land reform moves",
says Tarna.

    
The Veracel plantations are certified according to the Brazilian
system, but Tarna says the longer-term aim is to get FSC certification,
acknowledged by conservationist groups. The documents are a means of
the company’s demonstrating to its clients that the forests are
maintained in a sustainable fashion.
    

Veracel has set about restoring the Atlantic rainforest
at an annual rate of 400 hectares. The natural forests are concentrated
in river valleys, and the flatter areas are reserved for eucalyptus
plantations. "We are working towards a mosaic landscape, in which the
plantations and the rainforest are intermingled."

    
The natural forests are being planned as ecological corridors, allowing
animals to move from one area to another. The Veracel team are
confident that even man-made corridors such as these will work in
practice.

    
Tarna argues that forest restoration makes sound business sense.

      
"If the plantations get hit by a pest of some kind, then in a
monoculture setting the spread of the disease would be swift and
deadly. If the eucalyptus stands are kept separate from each other by
swathes of natural forest, it is possible to restrict any damage that
may occur."
       She also admits that reforestation is essential from the perspective of
the company’s public image. "There are no alternatives, since we are
easily associated with the destruction of the rainforest – even if we
have not been responsible for it", she notes. Veracel’s co-owner Aracruz has been
blamed for its poor treatment of the indigenous Indian population in
the region, and Veracel itself has not escaped criticism altogether.

        The company owns an area of a couple of thousand hectares that the Indians claim as their own.  The land dispute is expected to play out through the Brazilian court system for a good long time.
        "Whatever the outcome, we will respect it. We are not about to make
trouble over such a small piece of land, since it will not threaten our
supply of wood to the mill", says Tarna.