Trees are essential to maintain human life on Earth. The first reason is that they sequester carbon through photosynthesis, an increasingly important asset in times of climate change. Furthermore, forests are shelters of biodiversity, especially fruits, leaves, roots and animals. And, finally, trees generate income, whether through tucumã seeds, which turns into moisturizers and perfumes, or through the bioeconomy, by which families harvest nuts to sell in urban centers, for example.

It is no surprise that the interest in planting trees in degraded areas is only increasing in the Amazon. It is called reforestation, a task that is not easy, as it involves recognizing areas which were degraded or previously used for pasture and studying plant species and seeds capable of developing in the region's soil.

EXAMPLE

Installed for more than 40 years in the municipality of Oriximiná, in the west of Pará, Mineração Rio do Norte (MRN) last year reforested 362 hectares, equivalent to a little more than around 360 football fields. In total, 492 thousand seedlings of 101 native species were planted in the ground in a process that begins shortly after bauxite extraction. All these seedlings are produced in the company's forestry nursery, which has the capacity to generate up to one million seedlings per year. The work requires care and precision. It involves the processing and sorting of seeds, preparation of the substrate, sowing, nurseries and patience so that the seedlings get mature enough for planting.

“From germination, they go to the pricking stage, when we place the seedling, the first stage of the plant after it sprouts from the seed, from sowing in a bag. Then the acclimatization stage begins, when we transport the seedlings from one space to another. Then, we move on to selection and, finally, hardening, when the seedlings are left under the sun to adapt to the reality in the mine areas”, explains MRN forestry engineer, Fabrícia Reges.

This work generates employment and income for around 70 residents of the region. One of them is Américo Tavares, who has worked in the initiative for ten years. "Looking after this nursery is a privilege. For me, working here is a source of pride for taking care of the plants and preparing them so that they can already be selected at the time of reforestation. I’ve visited the places that have already gone through the replanting process. When I came back and saw the reforested area, I was very moved to remember that those trees, which started out so small, are now huge and bearing fruit”, he says.

Use of native plants and regular monitoring are essential

Today, MRN adopts an approach to area recovery that is based on the planting of native species, completely excluding the use of exotic species. Furthermore, the company avoids the use of pesticides and harmful chemicals. “The choice of introduced species is based on the characterization of the vegetation, which was evaluated through a forest inventory before vegetation suppression on each plateau. The selected species include Brazil nut, copaíba, cumaru, andiroba, angelim, maçaranduba, caju-açu, itaúba and others”, details the person responsible for the nursery and reforestation at MRN, Jocenildo Marinho.

The company also monitors the ecological restoration of the areas, collecting information from studies carried out before vegetation suppression, based on parameters established after several discussions with experts, academic community and environmental agencies, to define the moment at which the forest can be considered ecologically restored. Currently, some areas with more than 30 years of replanting have already reached an ecological level that allows us to say that the ecosystem has been restored.

COMPARISON

Based on information from studies carried out before vegetation suppression, combined and compared with new data on flora, fauna and soil, it is possible to contrast the ecological conditions of the original forest and those after restoration. The current phase involves discussions and initial research on densifying the forest with species of economic value, aiming to create future opportunities for local communities.

“In addition to all the techniques involved in reforestation, the company researches ways to make the replanted forest more economically interesting for neighboring communities, paying special attention to native species with greater economic value”, says Marco Antônio Fernandez, general manager of licensing and controls environmental issues at MRN. 

BBF recovers 75 thousand hectares of degraded areas in Pará and Roraima

The BBF Group (Brazil Biofuels) is already making calculations for the future when it comes to reforestation. He wants to plant more than 40 million palm trees by 2030. Currently, there are eleven million cultivated by the company, which works with palm trees with a focus on the production of biofuels and renewable energy. There are 75 thousand hectares of degraded areas under recovery in the States of Pará and Roraima.

The company estimates that planted trees capture more than 800,000 tons of carbon per year. The investments also involve agroforestry systems, with intercropped plantations of cocoa and açaí. By 2030, a total of 30,000 hectares of cocoa and açaí should be planted in the Amazon region, which will make the company the largest individual cocoa producer in the world.

"These are native species to the Amazon with high carbon capture power. We are pleased to be recovering degraded areas in the Amazon region, contributing to the environment, offering innovative solutions for the decarbonization of the forest, in addition to bringing together social development in vulnerable regions and generating employment and income in these locations. To ensure the least possible impact of our operations on the environment and surrounding communities, we carry out a strict continuous monitoring program, which follows indicators established by the National Environmental Council”, says the CEO of the BBF Group, Milton Steagall.

INITIATIVES

Everything is done with 100% natural and organic fertigation. The water from cooking the dendê palm fruits, rich in vitamins and nutrients, returns through fertigation to the planting areas, as a sustainable alternative for the necessary cultural treatments of the palm. The company also composts in the cultivation areas, using organic fertilizer prepared from the decomposition of waste from empty palm bunches and effluents from the production process.

This work unfolds into several other initiatives, which proves that reforestation never goes alone. Among the monitoring programs, priority areas are identified for plant recovery or restoration. To this end, projects are carried out that prioritize the use of native species, considering the preparation of seedlings, the maintenance of replanted areas, the afforestation of farm villages in agro-industrial hubs, the recovery of deposit areas altered by laterite exploration, the survey of producers local and preferably family farms for partnerships, in addition to raising employee awareness and encouraging partner farmers to maintain sustainable land use, without using fire to clear the area. 

Reforestation requires various actions

Researcher at Instituto do Homem e Meio Ambiente da Amazônia (Imazon), [Amazon Institute of Man and Environment], Andreia Pinto recalls that the Amazon region already has 20% of the forest removed and almost 40% of the forest degraded. Thus, befor reforesting, it is necessary to ensure that the remaining trees continue standing.

 "Prevention is better than cure, but we need to study and invest more in solutions to restore clear-cut environments or those that have been deforested by fires. On the borders of the Amazon, the loss of forest cover already exceeds 70%, as in the East and South of Pará, in addition to the North of the State of Mato Grosso. There, reforestation should be the focus", she states.

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As planting trees is an expensive process, assisted natural regeneration needs to be considered for the reforestation equation. 

"To achieve scale, we need to accelerate natural regeneration. We recently carried out a study which showed that there are 5.2 million hectares in natural regeneration without competing with the cultivation of other grains, regenerating the Amazon next to places with standing forest. The chances of a natural regeneration area far from a remaining forest to develop are smaller, as the proximity generates more pollinators, passing animals, with more permeability to biodiversity. And let's remember that the Amazon is heterogeneous. Everything needs to be studied and catalogued. There is still a significant number of small rural producers who can help, since, historically, they use agroforestry systems, mixing species of food interest with those that will grow. They need to be always invited for the reforestation debate, as managing this, after a few years, will result in areas with varied species", advises the researcher. 

“Global economy is moving towards less and less deforestation”

Businessman Peter Fernandez agrees with Imazon researcher Andreia Pinto when she suggests that adding the experience of Amazonians to the debate is fundamental. Mombak, a company of which he is the CEO and co-founder, has already planted more than one million trees in the municipality of Mãe do Rio, in the State of Pará, and wants to reach three million by April 2024. To achieve this goal, around 50 people from the region were hired to work as forestry workers, focused on planting seedlings. Recently, Mombak entered into a partnership to reforest a farm in the municipality of Tomé-Açu, also in Pará.

In addition to recovering degraded areas, generating income and decreasing CO2, rural partnerships have another objective: helping properties in the region to fulfill legal requirements. An example is that farms must legally have a percentage of standing native forest between 50% and 80%, but many farmers have a deficit in this number, which requires adjustment.

"I think it's a path of great opportunities because, if you look at Brazil’s history, there was a first livestock farmer who agreed on a rural soybean partnership. So, Brazil became the largest soybean exporter in the world. The same happened to sugarcane. It probably wasn’t easy; it requires courage and vision. And now, we have this opportunity for reforestation partnerships with livestock farmers, generating jobs and income, removing CO2 from the atmosphere and creating better living conditions for future generations", he says .

Potential

According to Peter, reforestation is a path of no return because more and more governments and private entities have noticed the high potential for generating income with this practice. "Reforestation requires more jobs than livestock farming, for example. On the farm where we have already planted a million trees, there were only twelve employees. Now there are 50. More than the number of jobs, there is the quality of these jobs, people working with a formal contract in reforestation. Unfortunately, often in the interior of the Amazon, informal jobs still prevail. Besides that, there are all the indirect jobs opportunities and technical assistance.
 

“Finally, there is the economic impact of forests on the future, when they are mature and producing value. We have already planted six thousand chestnut trees. It seems not too many compared to three million trees, but they grow quickly and generate many nuts. We estimate that, in ten years, chestnut production could generate one million dollars per year. And there are many other products that can strengthen the Amazon bioeconomy, such as collecting seeds, so that more reforestation can occur. The world economy is moving towards less and less deforestation and more and more reforestation. And I don't see a better place than the Amazon to lead this process", says the businessman.