From the forest to the consumer - GVces - Fundação Getulio Vargas

28
its cultural identity and as a driver for development. Today 95% of timber is
obtained through methods that do not destroy the forest. The remaining 5%
still originates from deforestation and it primarily comes from small-scale properties,
according to official data.
Timber companies made this scenario possible by establishing a pact to
stop predatory deforestation. With money from the Pilot Program to Conserve
the Brazilian Rainforest (PPG7) – an initiative funded by rich countries –,
for two years they invested in training people, upgrading their businesses and
disseminating forest management practices. “There was no turning back, we
either made our businesses legal or we would have to shut down,” says Fátima.
She has been investing further. In general, timber companies in the region buy
timber from landowners who had a
Timber companies
harvesting plan approved by the state
received financial
environmental agency. “Now, instead
support from the
of buying from them, we will apply
government and NGOs
to have 2.7 thousand hectares in the
to make a pact to stop
municipality of Sena Madureira licen-
deforestation and shift
sed,” she says.
to sustainable wood
She will pay 1.7 million reais in
production
rent to the landowner to produce 45
thousand cubic meters of timber logs for two years, generating an estimated net
profit of 1.4 million reais. “We will start other projects in our own areas, acquired
in remote hard to reach areas, as soon as the state improves the roads,” says
Fátima. Her ambition is to supply timber for the housing projects included in the
federal government’s Growth Acceleration Program (PAC).
The association headed by Fátima focuses on improving techniques, raising
support, searching for incentives and exchanging experiences based on the best
practices as ways to turn the supply chain of sustainable wood into a viable business.
“If in the past there were 50 timber companies that harvested only cedar,
mahogany and Brazilian cherry, today the 23 companies in the state that apply