Statement on Forest Plantations

May 30, 2005

The International Council of Forest and Paper Associations (ICFPA) represents national industry organizations whose members produce paper and wood products. ICFPA members are committed to sustainable forest management and sustainable production of forest products to meet the growing needs of society. The purpose of this paper is to outline ICFPA support for, and advocacy of, responsible forest management, recognizing that the sustainable use of both natural and plantation forests will enable the world to meet its growing forest products needs.

Forest Plantations are Important

Forest Plantations, or planted forests, make an essential contribution to meeting the world’s increasing demand for forest goods and environmental services. Depending on particular circumstances and management regimes, forest plantations provide a range of economic, social and environmental benefits, including:

• an array of renewable products derived from high quality industrial wood, fuel wood, non wood products and other residual materials;
• regional clusters of forest industries that generate jobs, income, skills transfer and social development on a sustainable basis, often in rural communities and particularly in remote and economically depressed areas;
• preventing soil degradation and erosion, protection against wind, recuperation of degraded areas by restoring soil fertility, sequestering carbon and enhancing water and air quality;
• protecting and enhancing biodiversity of plants, animals and ecological communities by providing habitat, shade and shelter for domestic animals, wildlife and other living organisms; and
• additional income opportunities derived from agroforestry practices, recreational activities and multiple uses.

The ability of plantations to produce goods and services efficiently from relatively small areas of land under regimes of variable intensity makes them vital in reducing human pressure on the natural environment. Currently, forest plantations occupy only 5% of global forest cover (187 million hectares) yet they contribute 35% of global round wood supply. In many countries forest plantations are the basis for world-scale forest products industries.

Forest Plantations are an Efficient Land Use

The growth and expansion of the human population and people’s legitimate expectations of better living conditions have resulted in demands that can only be met by new consumption patterns and sustainable production systems. Forest plantations constitute an efficient system for producing considerable amounts of high quality, renewable and recyclable, natural products in short periods of time and allow flexible interplay between various land uses. Well managed plantations, taking into account local circumstances, needs and expectations, contribute to rural development and to a wide range of environmental, economical and social outcomes. Depending on the intensity of management regimes and the application of sound and ambitious management standards and efficient harvesting and transportation systems, forest plantations are uniquely placed to meet growing demand for fibre, wood and other forest goods and services, in harmony and complementarity with other forest management regimes and land uses.

Sustainable Forest Management – The Key Issue

Forest plantations are a legitimate and, in a number of countries, increasingly preferred form of land use. Plantations are often an economically beneficial, environmentally preferable and socially desirable alternative to degraded and unsustainable agricultural and other land uses. Plantations contribute positively towards sustainable development, provided that good planning, careful establishment, sound management, best practices and social and environmental care are employed. Relevant contributions to poverty alleviation, rural employment and development, land use stability, indigenous people’s traditional land use rights, soil and water quality, reduction of local or regional pressure on natural habitats and biodiversity, amongst many others, should be, and frequently are, explicitly expressed in forest plantation management objectives. Forest certification systems are contributing significantly to the recognition of careful and responsible management of forests, in particular in the case of industrial forest plantations.

A Role for the Industry

Forest based industries have invested heavily in developing sustainable forest management practices, taking into account environmental and social aspects, protecting native forests and incorporating valuable environmental assets in plantation areas. Forest plantations incorporate the results of research and development activities carried out over the years by corporations, research institutions and universities.  Through appropriate management practices, individually or in association with other institutions and organizations, forest based industries are effectively transferring valuable skills and know-how to communities, landowners and growers who can then benefit from improved knowledge and understanding. At the same time, plantations must be commercially viable for their environmental and socio-economic benefits to be realized. Sustainably managed plantations, like sustainably managed natural forests, have to compete with illegally harvested, environmentally damaging, and unsustainably produced wood. In addition, wood now competes with non-renewable and less energy efficient materials such as metal, plastic and concrete products which all have much higher environmental costs than wood.

Key Figures on Forest plantations
(source: Forest Resources Assessment 2000, FAO)

• World land area    13 064 million hectares
• World forest area    3 869 million hectares
• Total forest plantation  area    187 million hectares
• Forest plantation area percentage     5% of the world forest area,1.6% of    world land area.
• Forest plantation area for industrial use    at least 48% of total forest plantation area
• Afforestation rate    4.5 million hectares/year
• Contribution to global roundwood supply     35%