In an announcement published in the press on Friday, a day after the debate on forestry reform, the association criticises the Portuguese government’s decision to ban planting new areas of eucalyptus based on an “incorrect and preconceived idea.”
“The industrial segment based on eucalyptus has been able to make use of natural resources the country has […] using a well-adapted species, and has done so in an exemplary way, responsibly and with total respect for the environment,” said CELPA, adding that the ban, “is damaging to forestry producers, leads to loss of competitiveness of the pulp and paper industry and contracts the country’s economy.”
The association said the ban, “reduces managed areas, encourages abandonment and growth of scrubland and unused areas and will increase the risk of fires (49% of the area burned in the last 15 years was scrub or unused and 13% was eucalyptus),” “will not resolve the problem of other species,” and is likely to increase wood imports.
Based on eucalyptus, the Portuguese pulp and paper industry is “a leader in exports of high added value goods,” and therefore, “limiting the most important commodity for the paper industry dramatically affects its competitiveness and the country’s balance of trade,” as well as “destroying thousands of jobs.”
This reads like a press release for paper producers and eucalyptus growers, not a balanced piece of reporting. How about publishing the facts about destruction of biodiversity, animal and plant habitats, erosion and depletion of soil nutrition, high water use by these trees and fire risk created nit on.y by their oil content and constant shedding of bark, but also by the shoddy and clearly unregulated felling methods used by so many "cowboys " contracted or subcontracted by plantation owners. Portugal desperately needs this new law to force growers to diversify into less harmful but equally profitable tree crops such as walnuts, almonds and pecans.
By Jude Irwin from Beiras on 26 Apr 2017, 22:28
In deed this is pure propaganda. Keeep the machine running.
They've taken up the greatest chunk of forested land and duped thousands of smallholder into believing tat there's just no alternative.
[...]"using a well-adapted species, and has done so in an exemplary way, responsibly and with total respect for the environment,” said CELPA- CELPA is the association for the paper industry that is made up of 4 companies. (just so to make it clear, these few companies use up 1000 000 ha of landa and are responsible for creating a collective illusion that planting this species is something good for everybody).
This is an oligopsony that make their own prices and that have less than 1% of eucalyptus plantations themselves. The burden and risk , they shift them to the smallholder.
As for the envirionmental part, just go see and feel for yourself, compare a atural, autochtonous forest with a Euc. plantation.
If you're into numbers, there ae a lot of independent studies that demonstrate that biodiversity indices are less than half those found ina mixed forest.
"respect for the environment" ?? would be laughable , would it not be so tragic... the tons of chemical fertilizers and pesticeides they put into those plantations and then, plainly state that they're respectingg the environment is just mindboggling...
By José Soeiro from Beiras on 20 Jun 2017, 19:38
Now that we saw Pedrogao Grande tragedy in which many people burnt to death, especially those who had to die on 236-1 going through eucalyptus plantation without buffer zones (no eucalyptus should be planted 10 meters from the road), I would like to hear from CELPA what did they mean "...responsibly and with total respect for the environment...".
"... contracts the country’s economy" sounds to me like "...contracts my profits..."
By Meg from Beiras on 03 Jul 2017, 15:24
Perhaps CELPA and the portuguese government should read Sepp Holzer's "desert or paradise"... and start doing something NOW
By W from Other on 16 Oct 2017, 11:22
This is the mosty absurd article ever written! No scoentifoc basis. Ask anyone who has had their house burned down because of the fires caused by these invasive trees. You want paper, plant hemp. Hemp enriches the soil, where eucalypus sucks the soil of any nutrients in mass plantations and uses 1/4 the amount of biomass to create the same papaee. Eucalyptus is also taking over the indigenous trees of Portugal. If all the forests end up eucalyptus, we are going to have a natural disaster. In Portugal! CELPA is a mafia, everyone knows it, who dont care about Portugal or the Portuguese people!
By SM from Lisbon on 27 Apr 2021, 14:12