Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply - Embrapa

Production and productivity indicators
World wood consumption increased to 3.3-billion m3 /year in the mid
1990s. The area of the world covered with forests was 3.41-billion hectares in
1995, or 27% of the Earth surface, excluding Greenland and Alaska. At the
time Brazil accounted for 16% of forests. The area doubled from 40.2-million
to 81.2-million hectares during the 1980-1995 period, from 40.2-million to 81.2million
hectares.
Industrial consumption of firewood for energy purposes is concentrated
in the agro-industries located in rural areas, where firewood is used mainly in
drying grain, tea or tobacco; producing bricks; and the ceramics industry.
These uses account for 10%-20% of the wood energy obtained in Asia and
9.5%, in Africa. Charcoal is used in larger industries. The Brazilian annual
charcoal consumption is estimated at 6-million tons, especially in the steel
and other metal alloy industries.
Charcoal and other types of wood energy are used so widely because of
the low cost and availability of wood, particularly in rural areas. As a rule it is an
extractive process in which production and processing costs are negligible.
Preference is explained by charcoal's ease of transportation and combustion.
According to FAO, Brazil's forests cover 5.3-million km2 or two-thirds of
the total area of the country and are the second largest in the world, after the
Russian Federation's.
Brazil consumes 300-million m3 /year of wood, of which 100-million m3 /
year come from forests planted for industrial purposes. Industrial consumption
in 2001 was estimated at 166-million m3 /year, including 32-million m3 for paper
and cellulose; 45-million m3 for charcoal; 29-million m3 for industrial firewood;
and 60-million m3 for solid products (saw logs, boards, plywood, panels, etc.).
The role played by planted forests has grown substantially in Brazil in the
last few years. In the paper and cellulose industry 100% of the wood used comes
from reforestation projects. In the charcoal industry the share of planted forests
grew from 34% to 44% and in solid product industry, from 28% to 44% from 1999
to 2000. The area covered with planted forest is estimated that 6.4-million hectares
in Brazil, of which 4.8-million hectares are planted with eucalyptus and pinus and
almost 2.6-million hectares more with interspersed native forests.
The average eucalyptus yield was 36 m 3 /ha/year in São Paulo in 2000.
When three 6-year cycles were considered, productivity increased to 44.8
m 3 /ha/year. Estimates indicate 50-60 m 3 /ha/year averages in the near future.
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