The protection of our plantations follows a strategy of successive cycles of prevention, monitoring and control. Mea- sures adopted include the selection and planting of more resistant eucalyptus clones, preserving the ecological balance and the generation of knowledge for continuous improvement of forest protection.
Forest monitoring is carried out in an integrated fashion with the main objective, of detecting pests and diseases at an early stage, as well as determining weed infestation levels and, in emergency situations, performing first response to forest fires. In Espírito Santo and Bahia this approach is essential to increase the efficiency of control measures to reduce pesticide use and costs of operations. As a result, in 2011 the Aracruz Unit (ES), reduced the need to control ants in areas of forest maintenance by 60%, based on monitoring information and determining acceptable limits of infestation. In the Três Lagoas Unit (MS), 25% of the areas were safe from significant damage due to the adoption of this strategy.
All this planning and control of pests, diseases and weeds premises meets technical, environmental and compliance ob- jectives. The teams also have responsibility for monitoring equipment, resources and training to combat forest fires. In Espirito Santo and Bahia, this work is completed by Forest Monitors – people from neighboring communities who have been trained to monitor fires, pests, diseases and identify flora and fauna. Altogether, 89 monitors have been hired to help take care of these forests, as well as Fibria-owned Legal Reserves (LRs) and Permanent Preservation Areas (PPAs).
At the Technology Center, research activities have prioritized biological control of the bronze bug, which was re- cently introduced into Brazil and is now a major pest. In this project, procedures have been developed related to the breeding cycle of this pest and its potential natural predators, as well as technical support for the introduction of a significant natural predator from Australia. A forestry protection lab has been set up – with the aim of improving diagnoses, developing a strategy for introducing natural predators and the evaluating clones’ resistance to pests and diseases. Studies have been carried out to assess the genetic resistance of eucalyptus clones to major diseases, as well as to develop a new breeding strategy to obtain resistant genetic material. New pre- and post-emergent herbicides of interest to forestry have also been identified. Technical recommendations for the management of pests, diseases and weeds in the nursery and the field have been reviewed. Other forest protection studies were conducted or planned in order to satisfy conditions of pesticide use and other FSC® certification requirements, and these have been validated through audits.
In 2011, we adopted performance indicators on issues most relevant to forest protection activities and began to per- form the tracking of such information for monthly, quality control of forestry reports, as was recommended in 2010.
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Soil management
Proper soil management is a prerequisite for plantation sustainability. This practice includes plantation area selection based on soil surveys and preparation of the land in a manner that takes into consideration environmental constraints that may impact plant growth. Soil conservation, balanced fertilization and maintenance of crop residues – leaves, twigs and bark – are common practices.
Fibria’s management techniques take into account soil preparation systems, balanced fertilization strategies and post- harvest forest residues maintenance. These are included in the company’s routine operations, taking into account the differences between operational regions, the characteristics of different genetict strains and the results of research and monitoring during planting cycles. The company invests in the mapping of its areas and is bringing together infor- mation obtained in the last 20 years in a database, allowing for the establishment of a single-source for the technical classification of soils and a set of performance standards.
Fibria’s forestry fertilization process has recently undergone a review, which led to the expansion of the automated management of fertilization and the resulting reduction in the number of formulations of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) on plantations, as well as expansion of automated fertilization management and control system, with gains in logistics, application security and costs. Also in 2011, more studies were conducted on the critical level of organic matter in soil, the effects of soil compaction from harvesting, managing losses of soil and water and newly- recommended fertilization tools, with the aim of establishing a unified application strategy for Fibria and application using controlled-release fertilizers.
Increasing forest productivity, crucial to the company’s competitiveness, is a great challenge in intensive management environments and increasingly requires the use of specialized technologies and, at the same time, conservationists. A technology that has shown good results is the mechanization of sloped areas using the Rotree system, which allows for the joint operations of soil preparation, fertilization and herbicide application, simplifying these processes. The herbicide application is described in the Forest Management Plans, whose abstracts are available online [www.fibria. com.br/web/pt/midia/publicacoes.htm] and describe the techniques of soil preparation, fertilization and maintenance of eucalyptus plantations.
Lime sludge, biomass ash, dregs and grits are solid waste generated during the pulp industrialization process. This waste is transformed into co-products and after this recycling process are reused as corrective for soils in plantations of the Aracruz Unit (ES). This operation brings economic and environmental advantages, such as increasing the useful life of landfills, reducing the amount of waste to be deposited in the area, producing economies in the purchase of lime and other fertilizers, and contributing to overall recycling efforts. In 2011, we estimate that through the implementa- tion of this practice, generated savings were approximately R$6.1 million.
Currently within the Aracruz Unit plants, approximately 100% of biomass boiler ash is recycled, along with 100% of lime sludge and 25% of dregs and grits. Overall this amounts to around 70,000 tonnes of material recycled. It is anticipated that the two processing units under construction in the Jacareí and Três Lagoas Units will recycle 100% of ash, sludge and dregs produced by the two plants – a total of over 86,000 tonnes of waste/year – as soil corrective and fertilizer. As of mid-2012, the total annual waste that will be recycled on the plantations is expected to reach 156,000 tonnes/year.
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Eucalyptus forest care begins long before the seedling is planted. This includes:
Soil mapping
Field studies and laboratory tests are performed to diagnose morphological, physical and chemical characteristics, among others. From this data, soil maps are made that indicate whether the area is capable of establishing a planta- tion and to orient the management and operations to be performed on site. This information is essential to indicate the best fertilizer for the soil and its productive potential.
Soil preparation for planting
At this stage, the soil is prepared to facilitate root growth and water infiltration into the soil. This is the first phase of fertilization to allow the plants to grow strong and healthy in their first moments of life in the field. Up to two years after planting, the eucalyptus receives this treatment and, after six years, is ready to produce pulp. The amount of fertilizers applied becomes a “stock” of nutrients for the next planting cycle, such that soil exhaustion will not occur.
Annual tests
During the eucalyptus growth cycle, nutrients in the tree leaves are analyzed to determine if the plant is well nour- ished, to identify the needs of the land, and to determine which interventions should occur and how. Every six years, soil samples are collected for analysis. Thereafter, fertilization is performed in accordance in response to the new planting cycle and measures of soil quality.
Minimum tillage
This means preparing holes or small furrows. All organic material (leaves, bark and branches) is left on the soil surface to act as a protective cover against the direct impact of water on the soil. The intention is to disturb the ground as little as possible.