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The challenge of plantation forests

The challenge of plantation forests

Plantation forests, even-aged monocultures established primarily for wood and fibre production, are intensively managed. They have relatively high growth rates and productivity, and provided rainfall is adequate, they generally tolerate a range of soils and growing conditions including degraded agricultural land. Forest plantations currently occupy 5% of global forest cover but supply 40% of the total global commercial wood requirements.

Plantation forests are one of the defining features of forestry in the past century. An increasing proportion of forests worldwide are intensively managed plantations as they have assumed greater importance as a source of quality wood and fibre.These forests can provide important economic and ecological value and have removed some of the pressure off natural forests, but if not managed responsibly, they can incur significant environmental and social costs.

Fast-growing plantation forests often have a negative image derived from early plantations that were poorly sited and managed, with resulting socio-environmental costs. They are typically assumed to be poor substitutes for natural forests, particularly in terms of biodiversity conservation, carbon storage and the provision of clean drinking water.

Research has shown that, if managed responsibly, intensively managed forests can play a significant role in the provision of ecosystem services and future wood supply.

Sustainable plantation forests are those that are managed for sustainable/increasing yields supported by intensive breeding programmes, based on a wide genetic base, carefully situated in the landscape to maintain functioning ecosystems and biodiversity, and offering protection to HCV areas. Mondi’s plantation forests are situated in South Africa and cover an area of 312,000 hectares.

All of our plantation forests are managed sustainably and verified by FSC™ certification. Mondi’s plantation forests comprise the main commercial temperate and sub-tropical eucalyptus, pine and acacia species and their associated hybrids. None of these species are classified on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species as vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered.

Last change: 09.03.2011

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