T
he rapid disappearance of the world’s forests has led the World Bank to declare forest conservation and sustainable forest management as goals and conditicins of extendine loans to developing countries. Thigpolicy statement could not come too soon for South America, which has about 48% of the world’s forests: these include not only tropical forests, but temperate-zone forests of Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay. In the tropics, especially, these natural forests “are disappearing at a rate of approximately 8.4 million hectares per year-alarming,’’ senior environmentalist Luis Ferrate of the Interamerican Development Bank told participants at a World BankFinnish Embassy seminar on forestry management in mid-May. [One hectare (ha) = 2.47 acres: 259 ha = 1 mi’.] This disappearance amounts to about 0.9% of the South American tropical forest each year, and deforests an area approximately equal to that of Maine or South Carolina. For help in achieving sustainable forest management, the Bank has approached Finnish government experts and companies. “Finland’s high dependence on wood and its track record in forest management qualifies it as ‘lead nation’ for this work,” Raymond Rowe of the World Bank told the seminar in his introductory statement. “Forest covers 23.2 million ha or 76% of Finland; its total value in 1989 was estimated at $7 billion, or 10% of Finland’s gross domestic product (GDP). Forest products account for 38% of exports. In 1992, the Finnish forestry sector is expected to grow at an annual rate of 7% a year while the rest of the economy will grow by 1%a year,” Rowe noted. Ossi Rahkonen, counselor of the Finnish Embassy, who cochaired the meeting, mentioned several more features of Finland’s forest management. First, the forest prod-
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Pdcis articles are reports of meetings of unusual significance, international or national developments of environmental importance, significant pubJic policy developments, and related items.
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BY JULIAN JOSEPHSON ucts industry uses the whole tree; virtually nothing goes to waste. Even the smallest branches can be made into plywood. The so-called trash-wood chips and sawdust-is used to produce energy, mainly at pulp and paper mills. Second, Finnish forest harvesting technologies always have emphasized cut-to-length methods. This environmentally friendly method was improved in the 1980s through the development by Finnish companies of “ecologically sound machines that help to avoid damaging remaining trees and forest soil.” Rahkonen reminded the seminar that through the sustainable use of Finland’s forests, the country’s economy actually has been shifting to a renewable resource base. These boreal forests consist mainly of Scotch pine, Norway spruce, and birch-“prime fiber and, by the way, great for recycling.” Rabkonen said that 125,000ha of forest a year “are regenerated artificially, and 15% of the forest land is set aside for ‘full conservation,’ especially in the ecologically sensitive north. In addition, Finland’s forested land area has grown by 20% since World war 11.”
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A forestry superpower “Russia is a forestry superpower,” said Rainer Haggblom, president of Jaakko Poyry (Helsinki), a consulting engineering firm.Russia and other members of the Common-
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ties. Some believe the Russian government will grant such concessions and may already have done so, perhaps reluctantly, because of Russia’s need for hard currency. If companies from those countries are allowed to log the taiga, one can be sure they will rapidly furnish the necessary infrastructure, especially logging roads. It also is probable that sustainable use would have little if any part in the planning and practice of logging the taiga. Other activities aimed at sustainable forest management in eastern Europe also are under way. Jarmo Myllyrinne of CTS Consulting (Helsinki) said that his company recently completed a “forest master plan” for Estonia and is preparing such plans for Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Russia. Myllyrinne added that CTS also is working in one tropical country: Kenya. He explained that his company is developing information on prevailing conditions a n d markets; how changes in local environmental laws and public attitudes will affect the forest products industry; and how to build in incentives to preserve the forests and manage them sustainably.
A tropical reforestation project
wealth of Independent States (CIS, the former Soviet Union) have a total of 920 million ha of forest (an area almost equal to that of the entire United States, including Alaska and Hawaii), mostly softwood. Of this total, the European portion of Russia has at least 80 million ha of forest. By contrast, western Europe and Pacific Asia are “fiber-deficit areas,” according to Haggblom. One project of Jaakko Poyry and other Finnish companies is to help ensure that Russia and other CIS and Baltic nations remain wood superpowers. A step in that direction is taking inventory of forest areas and forest-based industries in Russian Karelia (just east of the Finnish border) and in the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. An objective is to work out a plan for sustainable use of those forests. Another is to determine what forest-based industries, such as pulp and paper mills, are worth upgrading and modernizing, and which are better to close down permanently.
ESbT asked Haggblom about development and management of wood resources of the taiga (pronounced tie-GAH), the huge forest that covers Russian Siberia from the Ural Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. The taiga is an ecologically fragile cold-climate forest. Haggblom told ESbT, “We need to apply less intensive harvesting to the taiga, but it is premature to discuss it at this early stage. There are studies in place, but little [result] of practical value. It is more useful to start sustainable management and harvesting plans for European Russia. Even this effort, under the easiest conditions, is hampered by a lack of infrastructure and policies.” The general belief among seminar participants seemed to be that development of the taiga still is far in the future. There have been reports, however, that wood-hungry East Asian countries are keenly interested in massively logging the taiga as soon as the necessary concessions can be obtained from the Russian authori-
The western portion of the province of Kalimantan (formerly Borneo), Indonesia, may contain as many as 30 million ha of land that was denuded of its rainforest for logging and agricultural purposes and then abandoned. Often, soils of such deforested tropical lands become almost as hard as brick and thus only marginally able to sustain plant life. In western Kalimantan, however, the denuded soil is able to support a type of savanna grass locally known as alang-along, Pekka Rajala of Enso Forest Development told the seminar. Indonesia approached Finland for help in reforestation and Enso became the lead company for the project. But how can such a huge task be taken on? First of all, explained Rajala, a firm, long-term commitment-of at least 12 years and maybe as long as 30 years-is needed. That also means that essentially no harvesting will occur during that time. Next, the local inhabitants must consent to the project or at least agree not to interfere with it. Finally, the area to be reforested needs to be surveyed. For this, satellite images are most helpful: the problem in Indonesia (and in Brazil) is frequent cloud cover.
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“A key issue [in such a project] is species selection,” Rajala explained. “Soils in which alangalang grows are extremely poor. So we need a nitrogen-fixing species of tree, not a rainforest species, for the first rotation [tree planting]. We like Acacia species [a member of the family Leguminosael for this purpose. Eucalyptus or tropical pine would not be suitable because the soil is so poor, but eucalyptus might be useful for the second rotation.” Rajala also explained that a reforestation project of this nature is fraught with problems. One is that the starting phases, at least, involve monoculture (culture of one principal species). This can invite disease. For example, a similar pilot restoration project in nearby Malaysia had to be halted because the trees developed heart rot (a fungus
disease). Secondly, because the first few rotations involve monoculture, no fodder-and thus no habitat-is restored for forest animals. Thirdly, the problem of fires must be addressed. Can the original indigenous forests be restored? Rajala is not optimistic. “Tropical plantations [such as the Kalimantan reforestation project] will not replace the indigenous forests, and they will fail to attain similar ecological value. They can reduce pressures on [existing] tropical moist forests. Unfortunately, the most valuable tropical hardwoods are difficidt to grow in plantations. The reasons lie in the ecology of trees: Many species are unsuited to growing in pure [monoculture] stands or in open environments when [they are] young. Attempts to do so usually result in
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chlorosis and decline or in fatal insect attacks.” A notable exception is teak. Also, “there is merit in undertaking more research on a limited number of [other] valuable tropical hardwood species, such as Shoreo species, that appear to have some prospect of success under plantation conditions,” Rajala suggested. Phase I of the West Kalimantan project began in 1989 with financing by the Finnish International Development Agency. The Indonesian government began to take over the funding in 1990. Phase I involves the establishment of eight nursery centers in western Kalimantan to start 72 million seedlings a year. Phase I is scheduled to end in 1993. Phase Il will involve starting 60 million more seedlings a year, some of which will be distributed beyond western Kalimantan. Financing will be shared by the Indonesian government, the Nordic Development Bank and the Nordic Development Fund, and the Asian Development Bank. After Rio Perhaps Finland’s experience in sustainable forest management motivated the Nordic countries to request Finland to prepare their positions on forests for the recently concluded Rio Conference. Here are some of the principles Finnish Embassy Counselor Rahkonen listed Sustainable forestry includes not only wood production, but other uses as well, and must take into account the preservation of species and habitats. The importance of the sustainable use of existing natural forests must be recognized for social and economic, as well as ecological, reasons. Forests must be allowed to regenerate, even if it means that industrialized countries have to step up their monitoring and reduction of emissions to the atmosphere. In developing countries, not only must the reduction of green areas be stopped, but afforestation must be increased, especially i n areas threatened by soil erosion and desertification. Finally, Finland is calling for a global convention (i.e., accord) on sustainable forestry. “It should he reached as soon as possible,” Rahkonen urged.
Julian Josephson is an associate editor on the Washington staff of ES&T.
