Parica - An Emerging Environmental Triumph in Brazilian Silviculture
The Amazon forest is one of the largest suppliers of tropical native timber to the world market. However, considering a new trade and the environmental scenario that has been delineated for our planet and the
worldwide pressures to preserve the Amazon rainforest, the forest planted with native species of fast growth in northern Brazil has proven a viable economical alternative. Among the many species, the Paricá(Schizolobium amazonicum) is one of the most promising.
Native to the Amazon biome, Paricá is a fast-growing tree that has been winning the industry of Mato Grosso. The species, which is also known as “PINHO CUIABANO”, has a good potential in wood supply compared to eucalyptus, a tree of Australian origin commonly used in reforestation. Recently, paricá has been used to recover degraded pasture areas in the Amazon region, assisting immensely with nitrogen fixation and soil fertility. It has also been recommended for this purpose on land degraded by mining activity over the decades. Its uses are multitudinous in the region – it is a tree that can be grown with other agricultural crops such as coffee or cocoa in the first three years of planting, generating extra income for the producer.
Unlike the foreign species, Paricá does not have branches in the
first seven meters of the trunk, which provides better-quality
veneers without knots or holes. Paricá presents basic wood
density between 0.25 and 0.40 g/cm³ and is considered a light
wood, having a thick to medium texture that is ideal for the
production of plywood veneers.
Brazilian Elliottis Pine:
60 Years of Plantation Management
The dissemination of forest plantations with the Pine genus in southern Brazil was initially under local government incentives, which implied the granting of resources to specific areas with less productive potential.
Pine silviculture in southern Brazil was a process instituted by the country’s development strategy in the 60s and 70s. The plantation forests support a production chain that is fundamental to the Brazilian economy. Although some species of the Pine genus are considered invasive exotics, they contribute environmentally, socially, and economically to the development of Brazil's southern region, given the
characteristics of the planting and management process coupled with the production of a sustainable, renewable resource.
In fact, sustainable forest management supported by technological and genetic development is one of the Brazilian sector's global competitiveness pillars to ensure the country's notable ranking among the top pulp, plywood, and paper producers worldwide.
The use and application of Pine wood over the past three decades have grown substantially, forming a fundamental component of a booming sector of the Brazilian economy.
One of the main species of Pine planted in southern Brazil that SFI has included in the 2022 Catalog is Elliottis Pine due to its excellent adaptability to South Brazilian conditions. The Elliottis pine panels have proven to be a solid performer for our line of Structural and Industrial panels
