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Sustainable Forest Management
A sustainable and socially responsible forestry business based on legal and controlled concessions will provide long term benefits both for climate, environment and local communities.
Forest Management Objectives
• Legal harvesting practice with full lumber traceability
• Sustainable harvesting principles assuring minimal climate and environmental impact
• Socially responsible practices providing jobs and investments for local communities
• Preservation of national forests and protection of nature reserves
Promoting Sustainable Forestry
With sustainable practices the vibrant tropical ecosystem will quickly recover and erase the traces from forestry activities. Chain of Custody system ensures wood origin is traceable to it’s legally approved concession area. Third party certification can be applied to ensure international standards of sustainability and social responsibility (FSC, Nepcon, PEFC).
Concessions are harvesting licenses granted by the state
Concessions are granted to organizations that can prove economic long-term benefits and commit to the forest management objectives. Each year a new production unit is approved for harvest and may not be revisited during the harvest cycle.
Permanent plots are used for monitoring and planning
The monitoring of growth and natural regeneration from permanent plots is a valuable tool for forest planning and utilization. The data of these activities are essential to establish the criteria and quantity limits of each species and area to be harvested annually, enabling sustainable production.
Annual Harvest Plan
With the data from inventory and microzoning activities base cut maps are elaborated and detailed for each work unit (UT: Unidade de Trabalho). These contain all the information that the tipping team needs to know, such as planning of roads, storage yards and extraction routes; selection of trees for harvest, substitutes, remnants, etc.
Annual production units are planned for the full cycle
Concession production plan: Each production unit (UPA = Unidade de Producao Annual) has to be detailed and approved annually. The approved UPA will enter into state control systems with an allocated volume credit allowance.
Forest Sense 100% - Inventory
All the trees contained within the UPA with diameter above 40 cm are measured and identified. Each tree gets an id pinned to it on a metal plaque. This information along with the geographic coordinates are noted in a spreadsheet. In parallel to the inventory, a microzoning activity is performed, detailing the typology of the terrain such as: Stones, mountains, rivers.
Forest Management activities
Tipping preparation
Based on the cut maps, workers selects, searches and verifies tree species, size and identity. When approved, trunks are cleaned and escape routes established.
Tipping run
Trees are cut manually by chainsaw for minimal environmental impact. The chainsaw operator evaluates the best direction of fall and uses the appropriate technique for each type of trunk. Felling is done with respect of safety and nearby trees.
Log marking
After the cut, the plaque that identified the tree is placed on the stump. The trunk is marked with the tree id and work unit (UT), in order to enable traceability of the lumber. This is the beginning of the Chain of Custody that provides full traceability of the wood.
Log tracking
The trunk sections (logs) are moved to the central storage patio and tallied. The logs receive a label containing all the information pertaining to their origin, including a barcode that facilitates the posting of data in the system for issuing of fiscal documents.
Chain of Custody
Forest
Industry
Social responsibility
Buildings are built following national regulations (NR31), aiming at the safety and comfort of the employees housed in the forest.
Meals are prepared in a clean and hygienic environment to ensure sufficient quality and quantity.
The base also has an infirmary, where a nursing technician conducts first aid procedures in cases of accidents. Energy is provided primarily by renewable solar energy.
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