Lessons for Brazil's Sil Vicultural Plans at Carajas Philip M
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INI'ERCIEN::IA 13 (.1) : 12-24 (.1988) • JARI AT AGE 19: LESSONS FOR BRAZIL'S SIL VICULTURAL PLANS AT CARAJAS PHILIP M. FEARNSIDE Introduction: Jari and Carajas ari, a 1.6 million ha es Brazilian firms now numbering 22. The vicultural operations on the scale con tate on the Jari River new Jari (made up of three firms: templated under the Grande Carajiis Jon the northern side of Companhia Florestal Monte Dourado, Program. They also indicate changes, Brazil's Amazon River (Figure 1), takes Companhia Agro-Pecmiria Sao Rai both good and bad, in the outlook for on new significance with the announce mundo, and Caulim da Ama:zOnia) is sustainability of the plantations at Jari ment of plans for mammoth silvicultural headed by the Brazilian mining magnate itself. Jari's vast size makes the security plantations in the Grande Carajiis pro Augusto Trajano de Azevedo Antunes. of its future an important question for gram area in Eastern Amazl\nia. Initia The new J ari has made great strides to the region. tion of mining at Carajiis, site of the reduce financial losses and was able to world's largest high-grade iron ore de claim an operating profit for the first posit, provides the impetus for the Gran time in 1985/86. Reports describing Jari Changes Since "Jari Revisited" de Carajas Program to finance develop "out of the red" are widely known in (Fearnside and Rankin, 1985) ment in a 900,000 km2 area in the states Brazil having appeared in Veja (8 Janu of Para, Maranhao and Goiiis (Fearn ary 1986), the country's largest weekly A) Commercial Plantation Species side, 1986a). How J ari is faring 19 years newsmagazine. Newsweek ( 11 August after silvicultural planting began in 1968 1986) has also reported "the unmaking Since 1983, the share is important because far larger silvicultur of a fiasco" at Jari. Unfortunately, the of the estate's plantation area occupied al schemes would be needed to meet impression that large-scale silviculture by Gmelina has declined in favor of charcoal demand of pig-iron smelters is now a viable activity in Ama:zOnia is Eucalyptus and Pinus (Figure 2), and planned for Carajiis. J ari is famous as misleading. Reasons include the "operat the number of Eucalyptus species has Ama:zOnia's largest silvicultural planta ing profit" not reflecting the cost of ser increased. In addition to E. deglupta and tion. vicing Jari's debt, the operation having E. urophylla, the estate's commercial stands now include E. grandis, E. uro Interpreting its signifi been sold to its current owners at a frac cance requires an understanding of the tion of its original cost, and the unusual grandis, and some E. pellita. array of other economic undertakings at circumstance of a highly profitable Jari: an irrigated rice plantation, a kaolin mine compensating for losses in Gmelina arborea kaolin (china-clay) mine, a water buf the silviculture sector. falo herd in flooded grassland (varzea) The present paper is Jari's managers have areas, a modest cattle ranching opera based largely on information obtained been forced to further reduce the rota tion in the unflooded uplands, and a during a recent return to Jari ( 10-12 tion time for the estate's premier species, sawmill. April 1986). Jari has changed in a va Gmelina arborea. Gmelina was originally In January 1982 Jari's riety of ways since previous visits to be harvested on a 6 year cycle, but by original owner, D. K. Ludwig of Universe (Fearnside and Rankin, 1980, 1982, 1983 the cycle had to be shortened to 5 Tankships Corp., sold a controlling in 1985). Developments there give an idea years to avoid losses to the fungus Cera terest in the estate to a consortium of of the complexity and uncertainty of sil- tocystis fimbriata (Fearnside and Ran- Dr. Philip M. Fearnside, an ecologist, received his Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.A. in 1978. He is specially interested in the estimation of carrying capacity for human agricultural populations, and his work bas been directed at his problem in the Brazilian Amazon since 1973. He is presently a Research Professor at the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisa da Amaz6nia (INPA, and a Research As sociate of the Chicago Academy of Sciences. His address: INPA, Caixa Postal 478, 69,011 Manaus-Amaz6nias, Brazil. 12 0378-1844/88/01-012-13 $ 3.00/0 JAN- FEB 1988, VOL. 13 N9 1 IRlfR[IfR[IA kin, 1985: 121). Jari now harvests its so far. Jari's managers do not plan to Attack of the fungus Gmelina at the young age of 3-4 years destump the steeply-sloping areas, where Cylindrocladius deslupario in Pinus first to avoid the fungus, which has become the erosion hazard is greatest. How became a worry in 1984 when Eucalyp more severe. In the case of Gmelina ever, the staff fear that increasing cost tus urograndis (a susceptible species) grown from stump sprouts, or coppices, of manual labor will eventually make was introduced on a commercial scale at early cutting is also wise due to weak unmechanized use of the steeply-sloping Jari. The fungus is increasing steadily in growth after the fourth year. Shortened areas uneconomic. the E. urograndis stands but is remain rotations imply substantial increases in J ari's silviculture staff ing at a stable level in Pinus. When thi~ production costs: planting, weeding and acknowledge that they will not be able fungus attacks a tree the needles dry up harvesting operations have to be done to plant more than a very few cycles of but the tree is not killed. regardless of rotation length. Gmelina on the steeply-sloping sites due Fires have caused no The Ceratocystis fungus to erosion. If management of the re serious damage since 1983, despite dry attacks coppiced Gmelina more severely sprouts (coppices) proves impractical weather. Fire is an inherent hazard in than Gmelina planted as seeds or seed due to the Ceratocystis fungus, then these plantations of Pinus and has caused sig lings. Since coppiced Gmelina grows sites will either have to be abandoned nificant damage at Jari in the past faster than trees planted from seed (in or converted to a perennial crop (oil (Fearnside and Rankin, 1980, 1985). As the first 4 years), J ari's managers hope palm, etc.) or to a long-cycle rotation a precaution, J ari is now leaving wider that sufficiently resistant stock can be of hardwood species. Tests with peren firebreaks of native forest between plan tation blocks. developed to allow use of the coppices. nial crops (cacao) and planted hard Coppiced Gmelina would also be advan woods (teak) were discontinued under The staff say that the tageous on the more steeply-sloping sites the previous administration when they problem of fires spreading into the to minimize erosion between crops. plantations from slash-and-burn fields proved uneconomic (Fearnside and Ran Breeding continues in a in squatter claims has diminished. The kin, 1980). yet unsuccessful effort to develop lines company has established a "Rural Set Jari already has aban of Gmelina resistant to Ceratocystis. Ja tlement Nucleus" (NAR) to resettle squat doned Gmelina stands totaling 793 ha ri's past successes in improving Gmelina ters and has assigned three social as (226 ha planted from seed and 567 ha growth form are being transferred to the sistants to the resettlement sites. The resprouted as coppices) . Abandonment plantations in the Gmelina that is not plantation staff state that the squatters allowed to grow back as coppices. The is the likely fate of an area of approxi have been accepting relocation and that limited size of the present seed orchard mately 1500 ha in the Pacanarf sector burning in the community fields in the has created a shortage of improved seed located on "patio" soil, a very poor resettlement area is done after informing stock. A 70 ha area in a commercial plinthosol (apparently Block 69-76). J ari staff so that precautions can be stand is now being thinned for conver The staff believe that some of the aban taken. I did not visit any of the resettle sion to an additional source of seed. doned Gmelina stands that were cut and ment sites. It is unclear how many of Gmelina is being in then left unmanaged may yet produce at the 1500-2500 squatter families present noculated with Cerawcyszis fungus in least a little useful wood, since the mill in 1983 have accepted resettlement. some parts of the commercial planta can accept very thin logs. "Foxtailing" (the tenden tions in an effort to select resistant cy to long branchless apical shoots) is stock. Experiments are also underway still a problem in Jari's Pinus caribaea. in which infected trees are cut and left Pinus caribaea Genetic material was selected in ca. 1978 in the plantations (rather than being re from 50 of the best trees, but the progeny moved) in order to see if this cheaper Carribean pine (Pinus of these trees (being raised in Moro do measure would be sufficient to control caribaea) is viewed with increasing Sol in the state of Minas Gerais) have the fungus. enthusiasm by Jari's managers for an not yet had sufficient time to produce A new fungus has ap expanded role in the future. Growth of seed for commercial plantations. peared at J ari, attacking 100 ha of Pinus caribaea, now being planted on The need to keep the Gmelina in October and November 1985. slightly better soils than before, has been pulp mill supplied with chips has obliged The as yet unidentified fungus caused good, in some cases with yields as high J ari to harvest Pinus at the age of 9 leaves to fall off the trees, but the trees as those of Eucalyptus.