Ag-Network-Chile

AGRICULTURAL OFFICE

Embassy of Chile, Washington, D.C.


Main Sectors: Wood and Wood Products

Chile : A Forestry Nation

On a map of South America , Chile readily stands out due to its unusual shape. It is the continent's longest country - 4,300 kilometers, equal to the distance between Madrid and Moscow -as well as its narrowest, with an average width of less than 190 kilometers, from its eastern border in the Andes Mountains to its western border, the Pacific Ocean .

Chile has 13 administrative regions and its capital is Santiago . Most of the nation's almost 15 million inhabitants are descendents of Spanish immigrants. It is renowned as having one of Latin America 's most open and successful economies.

The country's continental territory covers 75.7 million hectares, and includes vast expanses of natural and man-made forests. Almost half of this area is suitable for forestry; however, most of it is government ­ protected due to the fragility of the soils, the steepness of the terrain or the proximity of ravines and watercourses.

Chile 's woodlands total approximately 16 million hectares: 13.5% are timber plantations used to supply the wood manufacturing industry; the remainder is made up of native forests in different stages of growth, mostly located on private or government-protected land, and therefore, not used commercially.


 

 

 

 

 

 

Conservation of Native Forests

Due to its unusually varied geography and climatic conditions, Chile possesses a rich diversity of natural forests. The most numerous tree species belong to the genus Nothofagus, although there are also a large variety of conifers characteristic of temperate and cold regions.

The Chilean Government, through its National Forestry Service (CONAF), is responsible for the conservation of the country's forest resources and for the protection of its native flora and fauna. CONAF, with a national network of offices, makes sure that all of the forest management and protection laws are fully observed. The agency also manages the nation's Government ­ protected Wilderness Areas (SNASPE), totaling almost 14 million hectares - over 19% of the country's territory - which include vast expanses of mountains, glaciers, lakes and forests.

Chile has one of the highest proportions of protected areas in relation to the size of its territory in the world. Its governmental protection system assures the conservation of more than 3.8 million hectares of woodlands, almost one-fourth of the country's natural forests. There are also large extensions of privately owned woodlands that are protected by law, due to the fragility of their soils, the steepness of their terrain or their proximity to ravines and watercourses.

In addition, there are potentially productive natural forests located on privately owned land. Today, these forests mainly provide wood for fuel, but they are also a source of raw material for the wood panel and sawn wood industries.


 

Development of Tree Plantations

Today, after several decades of sustained growth, Chile 's tree plantations total 2.1 million hectares, and mainly consist of Radiata pine and Eucalyptus, and to a lesser degree, other species, such as Tamarugo, Poplar, Douglas fir and Rauli.

Tree plantations are one of the best examples of a sustainable development resource. Not only are they renewable, but they also allow optimal land usage compared with annual crops. In Chile , tree plantations cover less than 3% of the nation's territory and represent slightly more than 14% of the nation's total forests. Nonetheless, they sustain 96% of the country's forestry industry.

Timber production is a renewable activity, since by law, all harvested woodlands must be reforested within a period of two years. The planting rate during the past few years has greatly exceeded that of harvesting, with two trees planted for each one felled. Thus, there has been a sustained expansion of these man-made forests from 350,000 hectares a little over twenty-five years ago to six times that figure today.

Approximately 90% of these man-made forests have been planted in barren areas, and the timber supplied by all has helped to reduce the demand for wood from the country's native forests, thereby assisting indirectly with the protection of this latter resource.

Tree plantations have also contributed to the solution of two of today's primary ecological problems: the greenhouse effect and erosion.

 

 

Silviculture Development in Chile

Creating a forest is a long-term endeavor. The return on investment will only be obtained after several decades.

Over the past twenty years, Chile's forestry industry has advanced through the sector's growing professionalization and increased technical capacity - both aimed at optimizing the use of the available resources to obtain the greatest quantity of wood in the shortest period of time, and on the smallest possible amount of land, with a minimal, if any, impact on the environment.

Important resources and efforts have been invested in research and development activities for selecting and genetically improving seeds. Nursery infrastructure and techniques have been created to prepare young trees for the specific conditions in which they will grow. Various soil-preparation techniques for plantations have been evaluated to ensure meeting the nutritional requirements of the different tree species that are planted. Biological pest control and sophisticated means to detect and control forest fires have also been developed. Pruning and thinning systems have been widely disseminated and technically improved. Consequently, today it can be rightly said that Chile truly cultivates the forests it plants.

In the past, natural forests used to be subjected to a traditional logging method that basically consisted of extracting the best individual trees for sawn wood, which led to a gradual deterioration of the stands.

However, today, anyone seeking to obtain an economic benefit from a native forest - even if he is the owner - is required by law to have a forestry engineer prepare a management plan, based on the condition of the soil and the resource that guarantees its future sustainability. The National Forestry Service (CONAF) is responsible for evaluating and approving the plan, and supervising its implementation.

The incipient industrialization of the nation's native forests, along with the opening up of markets for their woods, and the growing public interest in the conservation of native species, has contributed to the introduction of new and upgraded silviculture techniques.

Chile 's current forestry development could not have been attained without the vigorous expansion of silviculture practices.

 

The Forestry Sector's Environmental Concern

Chile 's forestry sector has continually expressed strong concern for the environment, which has been reflected in the ongoing action taken by its companies to develop new practices and commitments that protect this patrimony, while achieving a minimal adverse effect on their productive activity.

Initially, this environmental concern prompted the publication of the Forestry Practices Code, an analytical document recommending various practices, systems and orientation procedures to assure the proper development of the forestry activity's technical, environmental and social aspects - elements that are an essential part of silviculture endeavors, harvesting operations, the construction of logging roads, protection against forest fires, first aid, work camps, meals, worker transportation, training and other areas.

The document, which was developed with technical assistance provided by the International Labor Organization (ILO), was published in several countries with important forestry sectors, owing to its technical excellence and coverage of a broad range of pertinent subjects.

Afterward, the nation's main forestry companies signed a public declaration of the sector's environmental values, which basically stated their commitment to: use and treat natural resources in a responsible manner, preventing or mitigating any adverse environmental impact; improve their environmental protection performance, especially through the support of worker education and training; and be pro-active in contributing to the development of work practices and standards that protect and improve the environment.

In addition, the declaration expressed the companies' commitment to maintaining an open, honest and deferential relationship with the communities in which they operate, respecting their rights as they pursue growth and development, and to complying fully with the nation's current environmental regulations.

Since this agreement, others have been made, such as the Clean Production Accords, which requires companies to resolve concrete environmental problems - those that go beyond the fulfillment of the nation's current legislation. All of the pulp producers signed this first-ever agreement, setting a precedent for the rest of the sector in environmental commitment.

Likewise, more than seventy sawmills and re-manufacturing companies in the VIII" Region signed a Clean Production Agreement to adhere to the standards set by the government in this area, thereby reaffirming their pledge to safeguard the environment.

Next, the forestry sector focused on upgrading its environmental management systems to meet ISO 14,001 standards, to continue improving its Good Silviculture Practices. Currently, 60% of the country's tree plantations - equivalent to 1.2 million hectares - have been certified compliant with these standards. The success of this initiative has placed Chile among those nations with the largest proportion of certified tree plantations.

Together with pursuing this international certification, the forestry industry developed a certification system for a set of sustainable forest management standards adapted to Chile 's reality (Certfor), which received the widespread support of the nation's scientists and academics, and is currently operational for sector companies.

The content of this document (Chile, A Forestry Nation) was kindly provided by CORMA, Corporación Chilena de la Madera

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