Pine planted forests can usually adapt to any type of soil, but it is important to study the weather to pick the best species for each region, mainly when thinking about Eucalyptus
Certain care is necessary when starting to plant trees for commercial purposes. Planted forests can usually adapt themselves to almost any type of soil – as long as duly corrected. However, the weather demands studies for the initiative to have positive results. According to the chairman of the Paraná Association of Forest-Base Companies (Associação Paranaense de Empresas de Base Florestal – Apre), Álvaro Scheffer Junior, planted forests are like any other crop, with the same legal demands – compliance with labor and environmental laws in force. “You need to know what you are doing, just like any farmer planting soybean, for example”, he says.
According to Scheffer, the soil is a demand that the producer can correct through a series of resources, such as chemical fertilization, organic compost, microbiotics, among others. “However, the weather is more demanding. If you plant the wrong species in a given climate, there is the risk of losing all the investment, mainly in eucalyptus. Frosts can often happen in the southern region of Brazil, and some species of eucalyptus do not survive such weather. Pine, on the other hand, is slightly more resistant. The regions of the north of Paraná and inland São Paulo accept more tropicalized species”, he explains. According to him, a comprehensive study of the occurrence of frost is extremely necessary to choose the right species for the region. “We cannot correct that part”, he adds.
Pests – In pine, the main plague is the wood wasp, which already has a control system, Scheffer says. “From the sixth, eighth year of plantation, we place some trap trees, and if they get infested, control is made with nematodes produced by Embrapa Forest within a program of the National Fund for the Control of Forest Plagues (Fundo Nacional de Controle de Pragas Florestais – Funcema). In eucalyptus, there are many more plagues, such as beetles and rust. But all of them are very well known, with handling and control available for each of them. Currently, there are no unknown pests that may hinder the production of timber”, he assures.
Costs – The costs for implementing planted forests vary according to the species chosen and the final destination of the timber: pulp, paper, energy, short-cycle reconstructed boards, which equals 7-8 years in eucalyptus, and, in average 14 years for pine; or wood for civil construction, furniture, framing – which depends on different densities and greater quality, in the long cycle. The largest expenses, however, are made during the first year. According to Scheffer, one hectare of forest (without considering the cost of land), with seedlings of proven quality, mowing, application of herbicide, planting activity, and others, would reach the end of the first year with expenses of approximately R$ 3.5 thousand, R$ 3.7 thousand per hectare for pine; and approximately R$ 6.5 thousand for eucalyptus, per hectare, depending on fertilization. “On the following years, cost variation depends on the region, on the area it is located. If it is an open area, you will need to mow less and apply less herbicide than in a hilly area, where the weed infestation is greater”, he explains.
If the wood is intended for civil construction, framing, wood frame (wooden-base building system), it will need different handling, including pruning from the third year, and thinning from the tenth year. “With thinning, the trees presenting smaller diameter are removed, opening space for the remaining trees to grow and present better development. The producer must understand that the first thinning is a very expensive operation and that, even if you can sell what is harvested, it will not be a very large income, since the production is low and the harvesting costs are relatively high. The producer must see this operation as an activity in which he is preparing his forest for a better performance in the future, and consequently, a greater profitability. So, it is the final product that will define all the interventions that must be made inside the plantation”, Scheffer completes.