Conclusion (including presentation of the GAIA-Movement project at ...

7
Conclusion
Conclusion
35• New Undertakings
at Jatobá
The GAIA-Movement (The GAIA-Movement
Trust Living Earth Green World Action) has, as
described earlier, started a number of environmental
activities in cooperation with Floryl. In
this chapter these projects are described further.
115

Pine trees are
planted in the
soy field in a
so-called agroforestry
system
116 Conclusion
Agro-forestry trials combining soy
and energy trees
The objective of these trials is to find the best way
of growing energy trees together with soy. The
trees will benefit from the soil preparation that
the soy field receives, and also from the increased
amount of organic matter and nutrients containing
nitrogen that the root bacteria produce.
A soy field of 50 ha has been prepared. The
soil was given lime in the beginning of 2003, and
soil tests in July 2004 showed that it no longer
had poisonous levels of aluminium. The eucalyptus
and pine trees were planted on five hectares of
the soy field in January 2004, in rows spaced 10
meter apart. This
gives 300 trees/
ha, as opposed
to 1666 trees/ha
in normal plantations.
On better
soils in the state of
Minas Gerais they
have obtained an
annual growth of
35 m 3 /ha with the
agro-forestry system,
compared
to 45 m 3 /ha with
monocultures (only eucalyptus). The individual
trees develop better, and therefore become more
valuable since more sawn products are possible.
Furthermore, one has the advantage of an agricultural
crop between the trees.
Various kinds of energy trees are tested: three
different kinds of eucalyptus hybrids (crosses between
E. grandis and E. urophylla, E. grandis × E.
camaldulensis and E. urophylla × E. camaldulensis).
Pine trees of the species Pinus caribaea hondurensis
are also grown.
The seedlings for this year’s trials have been produced
at another nursery. The nursery at Vila
Jatobá has been restored and is ready for production
of tree seedlings for the coming seasons.
The idea is also to expand the trials to test other
energy trees as well.
One species of acacia seems to grow well on
the better soils of Jatobá, and since it gives good
quality timber as well as biomass for energy, it
will be good to test it. Local cerrado species of
the legume family will also be tried, as well as
traditional energy trees such as Leucaena. They
have earlier been tested at Jatobá, but not on soil
where acidity and aluminium content has been
corrected with lime.
Another part of these trials is to determine the optimal
start conditions for the eucalyptus trees.
This takes place at a former test plot for sugar
cane between the industries and Vila Jatobá. It
has not been used for many years, and the first task
is to cut down the small trees that have grown up.
The system of minimum tillage is used where
the soil is not ploughed, and the soil is kept covered
as much as possible with plant residues.
Half of the field was prepared, using the contact
herbicide Round-up, which kills the living
plants. This is widely used in Brazil’s many soy
fields grown with minimum tillage.
The other half of the field was cut down mechanically
with a slasher, placed behind a tractor.
During the first years the weeds between the
tree rows will be kept down by slashing.
Two different eucalyptus varieties are tested
here. High yielding clones of the hybrid grancam,
developed by the CMM company (see later).
And the hybrid urograndis, which is the one
mostly used on nutrient poor cerrado soils.
They are planted in plant holes – 30 × 30 × 30 cm
– filled with one of the compositions below:
• Soil from the field + normal type and amount
of fertilizer
• Soil from the former soy field + fertilizer
• Compost made from the wood residues + fertilizer
• Soil from the former soy field mixed with compost
+ fertilizer
These trials will test the effect of the compost
that is being produced from the wood residues at
Jatobá’s industries. They will also show whether
the soil from the former soy field, where eucalyptus
is growing well, has an effect on the development
of the small seedlings. If it has, it could either
be because of some special microorganisms
or some physical or chemical properties.

Cloned eucalyptus
Jatobá has made an agreement with a large cement
and mining company that also has large
plantations in Minas Gerais – CMM (Companhia
Mineira de Metais). They have developed an
agro-forestry system of soy and eucalyptus during
the last 9 years. They also have a good system
for selection and production of eucalyptus clones,
for example selecting trees where the timber can
be used for saw milling. The agreement is that
some of their clones are tested under the harsh
conditions of Jatobá – also grown together with
soybeans.
The nursery at CMM is also making clones from
plant material, taken from the best eucalyptus
clones at Jatobá (selected and multiplied when
Shell was the owner). They keep half of these, so
that they can test them under their conditions,
and Jatobá receives the other half. Some of these
are tested in the agro-forestry system with soy,
and some will be used to establish cloning material
at the nursery, so that Jatobá can produce
these clones in the future.
Nursery and arboretum with
production of energy trees, cerrado
trees and medicinal plants
A part of the project is to start a production of
the best pine and eucalyptus varieties at Jatobá’s
nursery. Shell planted many varieties of these
trees, and the task is now to collect the seeds and
plant material from the best varieties, in order to
multiply the ones that are best suited for the conditions
at Jatobá. Pinus tecunumanii is not common
in Brazil, and it is therefore important to
multiply the best of these. They had no cones in
2003 (this happens with pine trees), and time will
show whether there are any in 2004.
Seeds have been collected from the special eucalyptus
varieties of E. urophylla that Shell had obtained
from collections on various Indonesian islands.
They will be planted in 2004.
Conclusion
117
Participation in resin research
Jatobá has started systematic measurements of
the resin production from 20 different pine varieties.
This will show which varieties produce the
most, and Jatobá can later harvest seeds from
these and multiply them.
Jatobá also participates in research organized
by the national resin producers’ association,
ARESB. The aim is to select the best resin producing
pine varieties, and then to develop a simple
method of propagating these through cloning.
The varieties they have chosen are probably not
suited for the conditions at Jatobá, since the other
resin areas have better soil and more rain. But
it is good for Jatobá to take part in this research
and learn the cloning technique. This can then be
used on the best producing trees at Jatobá. The
cloned trees will have the same genes as the selected
mother
trees (selected
among the 40
million trees at
Jatobá). They
thus have a
much greater
chance of surviving
the acid
soils and the
long dry season.
Multiplication
of eucalyptus
at CMM is
carried out by
taking cuttings
from this clonal
garden

The arboretum
of Jatobá consist
of newly planted
cerrado trees,
and the older
trees already
there
The GAIA post
by the river tells
about its special
plants and
animals
118 Conclusion
The arboretum at Jatobá
The GAIA project has established an arboretum
at Vila Jatobá with a collection of the common
cerrado trees and shrubs, so that people can get
to know the local
plants. Many of
these have medical
uses, and the
aim is also to get
experience with
how to produce
them – which
ones can be
grown from seeds
and which ones
from cuttings.
Experiments
will be carried out
to improve the living conditions of some medicinal
plants in their natural surroundings in order
to have more of them. This is for example done by
thinning if they are too close, weeding around the
seedlings, removing unwanted trees, etc.
At least 20 of the common plants found in the
cerrado at Jatobá have medicinal uses.
The aim of this part of the project is to demonstrate
one more reason for preserving the cerrado
vegetation.
One of the medical plants of the
cerrado
The cerrado with its estimated 10,000 plant species
is a veritable gold mine of chemical compounds,
of which only a tiny fraction have been
investigated.
One of the
trees that are being
used commercially
in Brazil is
Fava d’Anta (the
tapir pod). The
large pods and the
bark are used to
extract substances
for the health
industry. They
contain 8 % so-
called bioflavanoids, rutina and quercetin, which
function together with vitamin C in strengthening
the smallest blood vessels, the capillaries. This is
important in order to avoid blood clots.
Three factories in Brazil produce these finished
products, and together with China the country
dominates the world market. In 1996 Brazil exported
$12 million worth. The market is rising,
and until now there is not sufficient to cover the
annual requirement of 2,000 tons.
The trees are not grown commercially, but the
pods are collected by families who then sell them
at a very low price. The middlemen earn a larger
part, and they are sold at the factory for about
0.15 $/kg. 1
Trials will be started at Jatobá to increase the
number of these trees in a specific cerrado area,
in order to investigate whether an actual production
of these substances is viable.
The GAIA centre and the
GAIA stations
The aim of the GAIA stations is to make the environmental
project visible and public. In that
way guests, employees, school children from the
region, school camps and tourists can come to
Jatobá and learn about the many aspects of the
project. 12 posters with pictures and texts have
been printed and laminated and have been placed
under shelters in the area – by the river, at the
power plants, the fire tower, the large reserve,
the permanent measuring plots, the view point
over the river. They deal with issues such as the
history, the vegetation, the resin production, the
thinning, the combating of fires and ants, the soil,
animal tracks, etc.
The GAIA centre lies by the river at Vila Jatobá.
It is a place where guests can come and use it as a
base for nature studies of the farm’s area.
Here the zoologists can bring back their catch
of small mammals and under good conditions
study them further, measure and mark them, etc.,
before releasing them again.
Insects and any dead animals found can be
treated with the correct chemicals, so that they
can be preserved.

Where we are standing, it is possible to look down
in the valley with the Arrojado River at the bottom.
The river has carved this huge valley. This shows that
it must have been over a long period of time. It is assumed
that the rivers in this region have been formed
when the whole region was folded and lifted up. On
a map one can see that all the rivers run parallel to
each other towards northeast. They have about the
same distance between them. The crust of the earth
has formed some giant waves, and the rivers have developed
in the bottom of these waves. Over time they
have dug further and further down, and after 600 million
years the result is these river valleys.
Further down one finds dark limestone. They come to
surface only at few places on Jatobá – more of these
rocks are found around Posse. On top of this limestone
there is a thick layer of sandstone. They are the
ones in front of us, and make up most of the material in
the plateau. This layer has been formed during the last
600 million years. For periods the area has been under
water, and sand has been deposited at the bottom.
During other periods sand has blown in from neighbouring
areas. This material has been pressed together
and turned into sandstone. The top layer of the plateau
is a thick sand layer.
Until 200 million years ago South America was attached
to Africa, Australia and Antarctica. This continent,
Gondwanaland, was split up, and South America started
its journey north, where it joined with Central America
three million years ago. The first mammals had evolved
when the continent split up, and in South America they
evolved in a different direction than in the rest of the
world. Especially the order of mammals called edentates
(without teeth) evolved into large mammals such
as giant anteaters, armadillos and sloth’s. Herbivores
(plant eaters) related to elephants and hippos, with a
weight up to 4 tons, wandered around on the open cerrado
areas. As opposed to the African savannahs, there
were no fast predators, and it was therefore not necessary
to evolve into a fast runner to avoid being eaten.
Natural enemies only appeared on the scene when the
large cats were able to come to South America, three
million years ago. But it was when humans came to the
cerrado areas about 9,000 years ago, that the animals
were wiped out definitely. 10,000 years ago there were
still 60 animal genera (group of closely related animals)
with animals over 44 kg. Today only 13 remain. There
were 10 genera with animals over 1 ton, where none
remain today. This was partly because man had developed
the use of fire against these large animals. 2
O Movimento GAIA
Fazenda Jatobá
Posto 6: A História
Conclusion
119
At Jatobá one can still find tracks of the Indians who
lived here, maybe thousands of years ago. As mentioned
earlier, they did not develop agriculture – partly
because the leaf cutting ants are so efficient in destroying
new plants. They lived off hunting, fishing and
collection of roots and fruits. We can see this in some
caves further down by the Arrojado River. Here are
drawings of seriema tracks, the long-legged “roadrunner”.
We do not know when these drawings of bird
tracks date from. But the first people in the cerrado
region – the Itaparica tradition from 9,000 years
ago – made such animal drawings and collected roots
and fruits. 6,500 years ago they were replaced with
another group of people who
caught smaller mammals and
collected snails and shellfish. It
is not known why this change
happened, but maybe because
the big animals had been
wiped out.
None of these Indians are
left on the cerrado. They have
probably succumbed, as so
many other Indian tribes, to
the diseases brought by the
Europeans, against which they
had no resistance.
During the centuries after the
arrival of the Europeans, not
very much happened in Central
Brazil. There were some
cattle farming and a few small
farmers. This picture only
changed when the government
decided to open up the
area, and supported the clearing of cerrado to establish
extensive pastures and soy fields. At the same time
the research institute, EMBRAPA, had developed the
soil treatment systems and grass and soy varieties, so
that they could grow in the special cerrado soil.
When Floryl established the first plantations at Jatobá
in 1981, there were hardly any soy fields for 300 km
north to Barreiras. The satellite photos from that time
show very few cultivated areas.
The satellite photo from 2004 shows how practically
all the cultivable land between Jatobá and Barreiras
now has been transformed into soy fields and
pastures.
THE
GAIA-MOVEMENT
TRUST
LIVING EARTH
GREEN WORLD ACTION
The text from
one of the GAIA
stations
The subsoil at
Jatobá consists
of very old sand
stone

The GAIA centre
is a base for
research teams
and school
classes for
their studies of
Jatobá’s nature
Thoralf shows
some of Jatobá’s
insects that are
exhibited at the
GAIA centre
120 Conclusion
There are stereo magnifying glasses to study insects
and plant parts, and microscopes to study
the finer details.
There are
large maps of the
area, and copies
where the researchers
can plot
their finds and results.
The botanists
have space
for pressing the
plants, and they
can make soil
tests, where the
grain size and amount of organic matter can be
determined. There is a drying oven and scales for
this use.
The centre is base for the research teams with
space for studies and meetings. It accommodates
12 persons with kitchen and bathrooms.
One of the rooms in the GAIA centre is the
Natural Museum of Jatobá. Here we find the
various objects found by the people working in
the forest. There are antlers from the small deer,
the skull of a caititu, the local wild boar, or the
shield of an armadillo.
Here is also an exhibition of the various fruits,
seeds, insect and stones. There are photos from
special places at Jatobá,
such as the historic cave
drawings, or the large
fossil in the river.
On the walls are satellite
photos from the past
and the present, air photos
and photos of some of
the special birds and animals
found here.
A large map with coloured
needles and dates
show where and when
the more rare animals
were last seen – such
as tapir, anteater, wolf,
puma, black and spotted
jaguar and nandu.
Tables show the statistics of the wildlife observations
from the two fire towers.
Other tables show the water level of the two rivers
during the dry months. This is measured every
14 days, and the temperature and the rainfall
are measured in four places on the farm.
At one side of the centre is the arboretum of
Jatobá, where the common cerrado trees grow.
One can also get to know the common medicinal
plants and how they are used.
At the other side of the centre is the river,
where one can cool off after the day’s nature trips.
It is possible to move forward if one swims with
all one’s might against the strong current.
It is also possible to investigate a part of the
river with the GAIA centre’s aluminium boat.
The branches and trunks blocking the river at
Vila Jatobá have been cleared, and it is now possible
to make a one-hour trip down the river.
Further east the river becomes much larger.
Last year an interesting fossil was found here on
a large rock in the river. It looks like a giant trilobite
– some of the first multicellular organisms,
which lived several hundred million years ago.
This one is 120 cm long, and the largest known
in the world until now is only 70 cm, so a palaeontologist
from Brasilia will come to identify it,
when the water level allows it.
Registration of the biodiversity at
Jatobá
As described earlier, a thorough study of the
plants and wildlife at Jatobá was carried out in
the early 90’s. This part of the GAIA project has
the aim of following up on these studies and find
out which changes have taken place since then.
A scientific description will be made of the changes
taking place when cerrado areas are protected
in the Jatobá manner, in combination with plantations.
This has implications for nature protection
in general, as a model combining commercial
and environmental interests. The apparent results
show that the method is good. More species than
before come to the area, and the nature receives
better conditions. An example of this is that monkeys
were seen for the first time at Jatobá in 2004.

Team of zoologists from the
University of Brasilia
A team of zoologists visited Fazenda Jatobá for a
few days in June 2003, as the start of their investigation
of changes in the wildlife. The team was
led by professor Jader Marinho-Filho from University
of Brasilia, who was also the leader of the
mammal studies carried out 10 years ago. Another
researcher from the original team is Marcelo
Reis, who made his thesis on the importance of
the biological corridors at Jatobá. He compared
the captured animals from the large reserve with
the ones from the smaller reserve, to investigate
whether there was a difference in biodiversity or
size of the area used by the animals. The conclusion
was that there was no difference. The smaller
reserves therefore have an important role, if they
are linked to larger cerrado areas, so that the genetic
variation can be maintained. Marcelo has
worked for the zoological garden of Brasilia and
now works with an environmental organization.
There were also six students.
The first task was to find the many original capture
sites. This was fairly easy.
They brought along the traps, used to catch
the animals. There are traps for the smaller mammals
under 5 kg, and larger traps for animals such
as wolves, foxes and the larger cats.
Bait for the smaller animals is made of peanut
butter, maize flour and canned fish. This paste is
placed between a slice of maize cob and a slice
of banana – titbits, also for small mammals. The
larger animals are attracted with cooked chicken.
It was full moon during the visit, when many of
the larger animals stay hidden. So none were captured.
A larger cat had visited one of the traps,
but it had pushed the trap from the side, so that
the trap door had closed.
But many smaller animals were caught, among
them many kinds of mice, armadillos and some
birds.
Two of the three-banded armadillos were caught
– a male and a young female. They were taken back
for further studies, anesthetized and marked on
the shell. By using such a system of marking and
registering how large a part of the next captures
Conclusion
121
have marked animals,
it is possible
to estimate the
size of the population
fairly exactly.
As something
new, nets were
set up to catch
bats. This took
place along the
river, where there
are more bats. The full moon was now a big help,
maybe because there were more insects. Professor
Jader, who is an expert on bats, was at least
very pleased.
Besides monitoring with the help of traps and nets,
the group also looked for animal tracks. One example
of the changes since the Funatura survey
was that the team could find many tracks of the
large anteater. At the last survey more than 5000
km of roads were examined, and tracks of anteaters
were only found in three places. The team
also found tracks
of the wild boars,
which they did
not find at Jatobá
ten years ago.
After this short
visit the zoologists
were in no
doubt that they
would come back
to carry out detailed
studies
at Jatobá. They
have since then obtained supplementing funding
from the University of Brasilia and have in December
started a program where they come six
days a month during the coming year to make
systematic captures.
One of the reasons that the university is eager
to use Jatobá for the research is that the areas
they have used for captures until now have fewer
and fewer species. This is because these areas are
close to the quickly expanding metropolis Bra-
Juliana is
employed to
teach school
classes about
the cerrado and
its importance
It is a fantastic
experience to
drift through this
green tunnel of
trees and lianas

Zoologists from
the University
of Brasilia mark
and measure
the trapped
animals, before
they are
released again
A small mouse is
photographed
122 Conclusion
Team of zoologists from Rio de
Janeiro
silia, and there
are an increasing
number of people
in the parks.
It also means
that the research
teams regularly
lose some of their
equipment. Jatobá
has ideal conditions
compared
to this.
A team from the department of tropical diseases under
FIOCRUZ, a research institute in Rio de Janeiro,
have also come to Jatobá. The team works
with small mammals in relation to the dissemination
of Chaga’s disease and various parasites.
The institute is interested in general studies
of the small mammals of the cerrado because
they have been studied very little. They have carried
out studies in another private nature reserve
150 km from Jatobá, and here they have found
three new species (some tiny mice). They came to
Jatobá to find out
if these mice also
exist here, and if
they could find
some other new
species. They did
indeed find one of
these species.
They furthermore
used the opportunity
to get
to know the small
mammal fauna of
Jatobá and especially
carry out studies in relation to what parasites
and diseases they carry.
They also needed to make breeding experiments
with the new mouse varieties (to see which
ones produce fertile descendants) to decide the
systematism of the group. They therefore needed
more live animals and took some of the trapped
ones with them.
The trapped animals were measured, weighed,
sexed, and samples of tissue, blood, internal and
external parasites are taken for later studies.
The team had planned to come in August 2003,
but because of a strike at IBAMA, the environmental
authorities, they were not able to obtain
the necessary permits for capture. They later received
the permission and visited Jatobá in May
2004.
Botanical team from University of
Brasilia
Dr Alba Resende, a botanist from the University
of Brasilia, participated in the Funatura
studies at Jatobá. She will come with a group
of students in July 2004 to survey the permanent
research plots. There are 54 plots of 50 × 20
m where all trees over 5 cm in diameter were
measured, identified and marked. This is a
unique chance to find out whether an additional
ten years of protection against fires change the
relative compositions of the species, the biodiversity.
The new trees that now have a diameter
larger than 5 cm, are measured, identified and
marked. These studies will then continue and
give an answer to the question whether any species
disappear over time. This is also the question
of whether or not fires are necessary for the
survival of specific species – and, furthermore,
whether these species that do not survive can
then be found in the more open areas of the reserves,
or in the areas outside the plantation that
burn from time to time.
One of Dr Alba’s students will use the research
results for her final thesis.
Another important question that the team will investigate
is which cerrado species establish themselves
in the undergrowth of the pine forest. It is
very evident that Jatobá has many cerrado plants
that now grow between the pine rows.
The team will make some permanent research
plots in the pine plantations, so that the development
can be followed over the years, and figures
can be attached to it.

Survey of the changes in the vegetation
composition in a reserve at Fazenda Jatobá
One of the permanent research plots was studied again in July
2003 to see what changes had occurred during the ten years
because of the continuous protection against fire or felling.
The area (no. 3 of the plots) is classified as typical cerrado
and is located in the northern end of the reserve. In 1992,
when it was measured, there were 73 trees with a diameter
larger than 5 cm 30 cm above ground.
In 2003 further 47 trees had grown up to have a diameter
of more than 5 cm. Only two of the original 73 trees were
dead, which shows that the system is far from reaching its
equilibrium. Fires have earlier kept the vegetation down, and
the last 20 years of protection against fires has therefore resulted
in larger trees.
This is in great contrast to an investigation, carried out
in 1996, in a corresponding area of cerrado, close to Brasilia.
The area had 1212 trees with a diameter of over 5 cm. After
4 years with fires every second year, only 37 new trees had
been added to this category. But 277 of the trees had died
in the period.
One of the species that had grown up in the research
plot, Xylopia sericea, is not on the list from 1992. This species
is generally uncommon in the typical cerrado and is placed
together with 9 of the 78 species as those that are found in
fewest of the research plots.
Ornithological studies
Jatobá is in contact with a biologist who is doing
his thesis on the birds of the cerrado. He is interested
in making bird registrations at Jatobá as a
part of his thesis.
This will take place by setting up capture nets
at the same locations in the pine forest and in the
biological reserve, so that comparisons can be
made with the diversity found ten years ago. This
will show if there are more bird species now that
use the pine forest for food searching, nest building,
hiding, etc.
Three new species have been observed during
2003 – a humming bird, a heron and a jacamar (a
small bee-eater-like bird). The list that Funatura
Conclusion
123
It is, however, the most common species in the closed and
relatively tall cerrado (capão de mato). This species cannot
survive fires, which indicates that the few areas found at Jatobá
with this tall cerrado have been formed because they have
not been exposed to fires.
This species now appears in areas of typical cerrado that
are no longer burned.
The 47 new trees found in research plot 3 are distributed on
14 different species, of which two were not easily identifiable.
The original 73 trees in the plot belonged to 15 of the 78
species that are found in all the plots of typical cerrado. This
means that practically all the species that existed in plot 3
are represented among the new species grown up since the
first studies.
Three species dominate among the new trees. Nearly one
third of the trees is of the genus Chaemocrista, a genus of
more than 120 species and the largest in the cerrado of Central
Brazil.
The studies of this research plot clearly show that the vegetation
has changed much in just 10 years. Botanists from the
University of Brasilia will carry out a detailed investigation of
all the research plots. It will be interesting to see if the changes
in all the areas are equally big, and investigate what causes
the possible differences
started has now come up to 191
species.
Two booklets with drawings
and descriptions of most of the
birds of Jatobá have been made,
so that many more can become
aware of this fantastic world.
The GAIA project
has made two
booklets on the
birds of Jatobá

The GAIA project
has made a
booklet on the
mammals and
reptiles of Jatobá
124 Conclusion
Registrations of observations at
Jatobá
The guards at the two fire towers daily take notes
of the species they see. Information is also collected
weekly on what larger animals other employees
have seen.
To aid with the identification, a booklet has been
made with descriptions, drawings and tracks of
all the larger animals found at Jatobá.
Other possibilities regarding the
registration of wildlife at Jatobá
A possibility of registration of larger animals is radio
collaring. Jatobá has ideal conditions for following
collared animals, because the fire towers
can be used and because of the systematic layout
of the reserves and the plantations. The captured
animals are equipped with a radio
collar. The guards in the fire
towers can then register the radio
signals, and it is possible to
determine the direction and estimate
the distance. This means
that the location of animals in
the area between the two towers
can be determined quite accurately.
The GAIA-Movement is
working to obtain funding for
such studies that can tell how
much the animals use the plantation
areas compared to the
cerrado reserves.
Use of biomass residues at Jatobá
This part of the GAIA project is to develop viable
systems for the transformation of the large amounts
of biomass residues that come from the thinning of
the plantation and processing of the logs.
There are three kinds of residues:
• Pieces of logs left in the forest because they
are curved, damaged or too dry for processing,
such as trees killed by leaf cutting ants
• Wood chips and bark from debarking the
poles, and shavings from the milling of cylindrical
poles
• Sawdust
There are also leaves and branches, but it is good
that these residues are recycled in the plantation,
as they contain most of the nutrients. These nutrients
are gradually released when they decompose
and can then be used again by the trees.
A part of the mentioned residues are used for
power production at Jatobá. This has been described
in the chapter on the power plant. A
small part of the biomass is sold to brickworks
and soy processing industries in the region. Finally,
some of the wood chips are bought by
chicken producers to use as floor cover in their
production halls.
More than half of the biomass residues are not
used at the present. Jatobá is investigating other
possibilities for productive use of this biomass for
energy, such as:
• Charcoal
• Wood chips
• Charcoal briquettes
• Briquettes
Wood chips and briquettes
The price of bio-fuels in Brazil has increased over
the past years. This is because most of the plantations
that were planted with the help of tax incentives
are nearing their final stage. Minas Gerais
earlier had 2 million ha with eucalyptus, but has
only 1.2 million ha left. These plantations have
been cut twice, and it does not pay to let them

shoot up after the third harvest. Some of the iron
plants establish new plantations, but many of the
smaller forests are not replanted.
The price of charcoal has thus tripled over the
last ten years.
Companies that use firewood – for example
the large slaughterhouses in Goiania – drive
more than 350 km to buy wood chips. Since they
cannot get enough, they are interested in driving
nearly 600 km to buy it at Jatobá.
At a later stage it will possibly be profitable to
produce briquettes of the sawdust. There is, however,
a production cost, and it will not be profitable
as long as there is a surplus of wood chips.
Charcoal
Another possibility is to produce charcoal from
pine. The iron industry has not earlier been interested
in this, since they cannot use pine charcoal
to make the normal steel. The iron ore has to mix
with the charcoal in the melting furnace in order
to produce steel. The charcoal of pine, however,
is too light, and the charcoal floats on the surface
instead of mixing with the iron. The charcoal
made of eucalyptus is heavier and mixes well
with the melted iron.
There are, however, some alloys that need a
lighter charcoal, and this is where Jatobá has a
chance.
Traditional charcoal production takes place
in small clay kilns that look like beehives. The
chamber is filled with dry wood, and the entrance
is bricked up. A fire is started, and the supply of
oxygen is controlled through small holes. The
system is not very efficient – 3 to 4 m 3 of wood is
needed to produce 1 m 3 of charcoal. The method
is also slow. The charcoal must cool off inside the
kiln before it is possible to remove it and fill the
kiln again; so a cycle takes 6-7 days.
A large iron plant is experimenting with a faster
and more efficient method. The wood is loaded
into a closed steel container and placed in a kiln,
made of bricks. It takes 24 hours to produce the
charcoal, and then the container is removed and
replaced. The advantage is that the filling and
emptying is done with machines. The unhealthy
work in the warm kilns is no longer needed, and
Conclusion
125
it is possible to obtain
more charcoal from the
wood because better
control of the process
conditions is possible.
It would be a good
idea to set up such a system
at the industries of
Jatobá, when there is a
market for the charcoal.
There are many residues
that can be used,
and there are machines
to do the work.
This part of the GAIA project will wait until Floryl
has found out which of these possibilities are
economically viable. The GAIA part will then be
to make analyses of substances, to set up smallscale
test systems, to visit other existing plants,
etc.
By then it will also be clear what kind of residues
actually are available. If Floryl manages to sell all
the wood chips,
then it means that
most of the other
residues will be
used for the power
production.
If, on the other
hand, it is possible
to obtain a good
price for the pine
charcoal, then it
is more profitable
to produce charcoal
from the larger wood residue and use a mixture
of wood chips and sawdust for power production.
If Floryl starts a large production of charcoal,
there will be residues in the form of small
charcoal particles. These could possibly be transformed
into charcoal briquettes, if it is possible to
find a cheap binding agent locally.
Every day large
amounts of bark
and chips are
produced at the
pole production
A load of
eucalyptus
charcoal from
Jatobá – now
it also pays to
make charcoal
from pine

Loading of
the first lot of
compost made
from bark,
sawdust, crushed
rocks and
microorganisms
126 Conclusion
Compost
A very different use of the wood residues is to
use them for compost. There is a market with the
farmers in the region who are establishing intensive
cultivation.
Towards Correntina
there is a farm
with 400 ha of irrigated
land with coffee,
papaya, passion
fruit and vegetables.
Such farmers
are especially
looking for the soil
improving properties
of the compost.
The sandy cerrado
soils are very poor
in holding water and nutrients, and this is where
the compost is valuable. The compost also contains
some nutrients that are liberated gradually
and therefore not washed away.
Jatobá started by composting 300 m 3 of sawdust
and bark. This is carried out in cooperation
with a consultant from an association of organic
producers. He has his own production of compost
and produces mixtures of microorganisms,
for sale to farmers in the region.
He uses mainly two kinds of microorganisms:
Fungi of the genus Aspergillus, which is known to
decompose cellulose, even in wood with resin, and
bacteria of the Pseudomonas genus. Both kinds
are normally found in large amounts in compost.
The consultant first made a composting trial with
small amounts of sawdust, shavings, chips and
bark from the industries. He mixed this with 10 %
chicken manure and 10 % crushed rocks from
Roxa – a place in Bahia, where the rocks contain
much phosphate and micronutrients.
After 20 days the result was so good that Floryl
decided to start a production on a large scale.
The chicken manure was not included, because
the buyers of wood chips for their chicken farms
were afraid that diseases could be spread, if they
supplied Jatobá with manure.
A truckload of crushed Roxa rocks was mixed
with 8 parts of sawdust and bark. These residues
are finer and therefore easier to decompose than
wood chips. The wood chips are also easier to sell
as fuel.
40 % water is added to the mixture to achieve
the right humidity, and 2 litres of the microorganism
solution is added for every ton of material to
make the composting start quickly.
The first production of compost went well, and after
3-4 months of transformation, 260 tons were
sold in January 2004 to a large vegetable grower
in the area.
The compost was sold at $22/ton picked up at
Jatobá. The surplus is shared with the consultant,
who wanted his part of the profits paid in compost
instead of cash.
Tests were made of the compost’s content of carbon
(C) and nitrogen (N). The relation between
these, the C/N ratio, is important. If there is too
much carbon compared to nitrogen, then the microorganisms
will take nitrogen from the soil for
the further transformation of the compost. But
the C/N ratio turned out to be 28.5, and therefore
under the limit of 30.
A later improvement will be to add ash from the
power plant. These ashes contain most of the potassium,
phosphate and other nutrients that were
in the wood before it was burned. It cannot be
added until the composting has finished, since
the ash is alkaline. The active fungi require an
acid environment to decompose the cellulose. But
the ash can be added when the composting has
finished, and the nutrients from the biomass can
then be recycled.
Another objective of these composting trials
is to develop a product that can be used in the
planting holes when new plantations are established
at Jatobá. As described earlier, Jatobá has
started trials to study the effect of the compost on
the growth of the trees.
The income from the sale of the compost means
that there are funds to carry out the next trials
with commercial use of the biomass residues.
The next round of 1200 tons compost has started,
of which the 600 tons have been sold in advance.

36• A View into the
Future
The main activities of Jatobá are to run plantations,
power production, biological reserves, research
and the accompanying processing of forest
and agricultural products. The environmental
factory must ensure the environment through
sustainable and profitable activities.
Here is a vision of how the 92,000 ha at Jatobá
could be used 20 years from now:
40,000 ha plantations of pine and eucalyptus.
There is an average annual increment (growth)
of 15 m 3 /ha – or 600,000 m 3 . A 32 MW power
plant of the gasification and gas turbine
type is connected. The power plant consumes
240,000 m 3 annually. The raw material
is waste from the attached timber industries.
The power plant is connected to the grid, and
the electricity is sold. The following industries
process 600,000 m 3 annually: the sawmill,
pole production, production of furniture from
eucalyptus and pine, as well as products for
the construction industry, such as doors, windows
and trusses.
12,000 ha planted with soy, cotton, maize and
rice in rotation.
500 ha with citrus.
500 ha with coffee.
1,000 ha other crops under irrigation, and a nursery.
38,000 ha established as biological reserves,
where long-term scientific research is carried
out – not only for the benefit of Jatobá and
Brazil, but also for the benefit of the global environment
and man’s knowledge thereof.
With these productions 2,000 people will be employed.
To reach these goals it is necessary to carry out
the following activities during the next years:
1. A systematic and selective thinning during the
next four years.
2. A continued selective thinning and start of the
final harvest.
Conclusion
127
3. Start of replanting plantations in 2005.
4. Expand the soy production that started in
2003. It will function as an economic generator
for the replanting and for the expansion of
the plantation.
5. Change the present low degree of timber
processing to make more processed products.
This takes place in connection with the final
harvest, when the diameter is greater and the
possibilities for products thus become larger.
The products
will then
be edge-glued
panels, semimanufactured
products,
doors and
skirting. This
development
is a precondition
in order
to have funding
for the replanting
and
expansion of the plantation to 40,000 ha.
6. Establish a 4 MW power plant to produce
electricity for the new industries. This is a
step on the way towards the 32 MW power
plant.
7. Describe the harvest plan in a 17-year plan up
to 2019, when the plantation is expected to be
fully harvested. The trees replanted in 2005
will by 2020 have grown for 15 years and be
ready for thinning.
8. Continuous establishment of resin units consisting
of 500,000 trees. Two units are in operation
at the end of 2003. During the period
2004-2006, a further 8 units are established.
9. Continued expansion of the GAIA activities at
Jatobá with research and development work
within biology and other scientific disciplines
– and with information and educational work
related to school classes, students, tourists
and people around the world.
“A plan like this looks very realistic today,” the director
of Floryl Florestadora Lars Jensen says. “I
also know that we have changed our plans many
times in order to get to where we are today. So
The future
Jatobá could
look like this
mosaic – with
energy forest,
fields with
energy crops,
rice and soy and
large nature
reserves

128 Conclusion
the reality will probably look different, and we
will probably change the plan many times during
the next 20 years. But to me the plan above
shows the enormous possibilities there are in the
environmental factory Jatobá. I also wish that
Jatobá can function as an example for similar environmental
factories in other areas of Brazil and
in other countries of the world.”
Sources
1. “Extrativismo e Biodiversidade – O Caso da
Fava-d’Anta”, Ciência Hoje, Vol. 27/161, 2000
2. “Frutos dispersos por Mamíferos Extintos”,
Ciência Hoje, Vol. 29/173, 2001