(OPENS with the sound of a steam train — tracks, steam, slow whistle) + slow soundtrack
In the late 19th century, Brazil was at the peak of the coffee era. And there was a strong movement in the interior of São Paulo: to get these beans to the Port of Santos and out to the world.
To achieve this, railroads began to crisscross the state. Tracks passing through farms, villages, and entire valleys — it was the symbol of progress, speed, and arriving wealth.
But there was a price to pay.
To build every piece of railway — and to keep the locomotives that pulled tons of coffee running — wood was needed. Lots of wood. A single locomotive could consume up to 10 tons of firewood per day.
And in the early 20th century, millions of hectares of native forest simply disappeared year after year.
It was progress marching forward… at the expense of a natural heritage that seemed infinite.
PROF. RODRIGO — At that time, in the 1900s, about fifty thousand hectares per year of native forest, of Cerrado and Atlantic Forest, were harvested, were deforested to supply the railways, to make this system run.
((OPENING THEME RISES))
MARIANA – Hello, I’m Mariana Pollo and this is CCARBONCast, the podcast that connects you to climate and carbon science. (short pause)
Today, we are going to understand how forest systems can help reverse part of the impact left by deforestation. But first, let’s board the time train again and travel back to the early 20th century.
((steam train sound returns))
MARIANA – You’ve probably noticed that Brazil’s relationship with its forests has never been simple. The use of wood as fuel was a common practice in the first decades of the 20th century. And then the realization hit: something had to be done to compensate for the destruction and keep the wheels turning.
It was in this scenario that some of the country’s first forest restoration initiatives were born. Telling this story is Professor Rodrigo Eiji Hakamada, from ESALQ/USP, one of the great Brazilian references in forest management and land use, and an associated researcher at CCarbon.
PROF. RODRIGO — And then, a guy named Edmundo Navarro de Andrade, with his team… an agronomist who was hired in the 1900s to develop a wood supply plan for the railways, for the old Companhia Paulista de Estradas de Ferro.
So, he traveled the world, he traveled the world and brought back various forest essences to Brazil with the potential to adapt. And that’s when studies of fast-growing species in Brazil began, to replace the native wood that was being deforested to supply the railroads.
MARIANA – That is how modern silviculture began in Brazil.
And it was Edmundo Navarro de Andrade, a native of Araras, São Paulo, who organized the first major effort of planted forests in the country.
Navarro created a network with 18 forest nurseries and tested almost a hundred different species. He was looking for wood that grew fast and could withstand the demand of the railways. After much trial and error, he arrived at eucalyptus — a tree native to Australia, but which adapted very well to the climate here.
And, more than a century later, planted forests continue to be key pieces — now also in the fight against climate change and in the recovery of degraded areas.
In 1965, with the Fiscal Incentive Program for Reforestation, Brazil entered a new phase. For the first time, planting trees became a real business, with scale, investment, and planning.
PROF. RODRIGO — From the 1900s until the 60s, Brazil had around three hundred thousand hectares of cultivated forests, which was very little to supply the enormous production chain linked to the forest. So, the government, seeing the need to foster, to increase the production of cultivated forests to replace the use of native forests, launched a tax incentive program, where companies that cultivated forests had enormous benefits from a fiscal point of view.”
MARIANA – Companies and producers could deduct the money invested in planted forests from their Income Tax. In practice, this made everything cheaper and greatly increased interest in planting.
In addition to these incentives, programs came along to help small and medium producers start their plantations. And, of course, the industry itself began to drive this demand.
It was at this time that the first Forestry Engineering schools appeared in Brazil.
And the Brazilian Institute for Forest Development was also born — which would later became IBAMA.
PROF. RODRIGO — And then, a surge begins in the planted forest sector, that’s when the large industries begin to establish themselves. And, at this moment, ESALQ plays a fundamental role in this history, because it, together with companies in the sector, founded the Institute of Forest Research and Studies (IPEF). This institute, then, leverages an exponential growth of planted forests, which goes until the 90s.
There are people who say that it is the golden period of Brazilian silviculture, between 60 and 90, because the country goes from 500 thousand hectares of planted forests to 4 million hectares.
MARIANA – This rapid advance of silviculture, driven by public policies and industry demand, helped to solidify the forestry sector in Brazil once and for all. And as the sector grew, new challenges came along: diversifying production, using the soil better, and reducing environmental impacts.
It was at this moment that integrated systems began to gain strength. They offered a smarter and more multifunctional way to use the land.
Agroforestry systems and Crop-Livestock-Forest Integration (ILPF) began to be studied and applied. And they attracted attention not only for their productive efficiency — on properties of all sizes — but also for their ability to recover ecosystem services and make areas more resilient to the climate.
CCARBON EXPLAINS: “Ecosystem services” are the functions of nature that keep everything running: such as soil protection, water purification, and climate regulation. It is the invisible work the environment does to make life possible.
PROF. RODRIGO — Integration systems, whether it’s an agroforestry system, so-called, or the Embrapa brand, of Crop-Livestock-Forest Integration, they are more complex, possessing more elements than just the forestry one. When I talk about a pure silvicultural system, I am talking about one, two species at most, being cultivated solely.
This, in some way, results in increased productivity, cost gains, so I can gain scale. On the other hand, the integration system brings mutual benefits from a production and ecological point of view as well. When I combine agriculture, livestock, forest, this integration is a path we see as a very viable alternative, since just in the integration system, where there is the forestry component, it is estimated that there are more than 2 million hectares already under this system, whereas pure planted forest plantations are in the order of 10 million, 10 and a half million hectares.
MARIANA – The use of integrated systems has been growing in Brazil, especially those that include forests. And this shows a new way of producing in the field, a way that also looks out for the environment.
These systems play an important role in combating climate change. To give you an idea, according to the ABC+ Plan — which we discussed in the first episode with Professor Carlos Eduardo Cerri — Brazil wants to expand areas with sustainable technologies by more than 13 million hectares. And ILPF already exceeds 2 million hectares.
And this advance is no accident. Research shows that ILPF improves animal welfare, strengthens soil microbiology, and increases efficient land use.
And this is where we get to today’s central point: the potential for carbon sequestration in planted forests — and the impact of this on the global scenario.
PROF. RODRIGO — The planted forest sector stocks approximately, in numbers from 2005, something around 2 billion to 2.5 billion tons of CO2 equivalent. So it is practically what all of Brazil emits in a year, this sector manages to stock just considering planted forests. Something to be highlighted is that this sector, approximately, for every one hectare cultivated of production forests, preserves one hectare of native forests.
So I’m not even talking about the stock potential of that one hectare of native forest that is conserved by the sector, just there I am saying that I have approximately 10 million hectares being protected, very well protected, and that accumulates carbon there, stocks carbon like any native forest. Brazil has been growing a lot, it stands out globally as one of the main countries in planted forests, for example, it is the main exporter of short fiber pulp, for example, with eucalyptus as the main one. So Brazil is already a major player in this market linked to carbon and forest plantations around the world.
MARIANA – According to the Brazilian Forest Service, planted forest areas grew by about 3% from 2023 to 2024.
Most of these plantations are in the Southeast and South — together, these regions concentrate more than 70% of everything planted in the country.
In the Southeast, Minas Gerais leads the line. The state has more than 2 million planted hectares, almost all eucalyptus. This wood mainly supplies the pulp, paper, and energy industries.
In the South, the highlight is pine (Pinus), mainly in Paraná and Santa Catarina. The colder climate and soil type greatly help the species’ growth. And pine is widely used in the furniture and construction industries.
And the Midwest is also growing on the map. Mato Grosso do Sul, for example, grew more than 15% in 2023 alone — and eucalyptus dominates there too.
In the North and Northeast, participation is smaller. It has to do with climate, soil type, and, of course, a much smaller presence of forest industries in the region.
In total, more than 76% of planted forests in Brazil are eucalyptus. That’s 7.4 million hectares.
Not coincidentally, Brazil is a global highlight: we are the second-largest pulp producer on the planet, behind only the United States.
And our “secret” is the so-called climate advantage. In temperate countries, like Canada, a eucalyptus cycle can take more than 30 years. Here, it closes in 7 years. This speed makes us extremely competitive abroad.
PROF. RODRIGO — Brazil is currently undergoing a moment of sector expansion. So areas considered traditional, such as the states of Paraná, São Paulo, Minas, are seeing an expansion of the forest base to Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Northern Bahia, Southern Maranhão, and these are regions where the potential for stress for the plants is very high and the potential use of natural resources is also more delicate. What do I mean by that? In regions of lower water deficit or absence of water deficit, what we call ‘blue water’ production, that is, that water that remains in the micro-basin for the community, for the producers, it needs to be considered.
And in these regions of water deficit, there is a greater risk regarding the production of this so-called blue water. So the sector faces this enormous challenge of reconciling production, the expansion of the sector, which is vibrant, for the next decade. I have investments already announced in Brazil in the order of 110 billion reais.
It is one of the industrial sectors that will grow the most in the next decade. But the expansion of this base takes place in these regions of high water stress and real potential for sustainable production.”
MARIANA – According to the FAO, so-called “blue water” is the water that actually reaches rivers, lakes, and aquifers. It is different from “green water,” which is the moisture that stays in the soil and is used by plants during transpiration.
To give you an idea: in 2021, it rained about 15 trillion cubic meters in Brazil. Of this total, 8.5 trillion were lost through evapotranspiration. And what remained, 6.5 trillion cubic meters, is the blue water, which actually reaches the rivers and lakes.
When agriculture and reforestation advance, water consumption by the soil and vegetation increases, which can reduce the volume that reaches the rivers. That is why planning land use well is fundamental.
And this is exactly where the work of Professor Rodrigo Hakamada’s group comes in: they research how to make legal reserves more sustainable, creating multifunctional forests — which produce, protect, and at the same time help balance water use.
PROF. RODRIGO — One of the main projects we have been developing is on the sustainable use of legal reserves. Or I’ll call them multifunctional forests.
These forests are being supported by the Government of the State of São Paulo, by the Secretariat for the Environment. Half of the legal reserve area can be occupied by fast-growing exotic species that can bring gains to producers. While the other half of this legal reserve cover is maintained with native species.
So it is a model that we have been studying that provides both the environmental service of stocking carbon, water production, biodiversity, and generating income for the producer. It is one of the most difficult things from the point of view of restoration, is convincing producers that it is interesting for them to have an extra area of native vegetation on their property, to adapt their property. And having models where you combine conservation with income generation, perhaps could be a trigger, an opportunity to increase tree planting on rural properties.
MARIANA – At CCarbon, the research coordinated by the professor seeks to understand how planted forests and agroforestry systems can function as climate change mitigation strategies.
The group wants to discover how much carbon these areas can stock — both in the soil and in the biomass of the trees themselves.
And it goes further: they also analyze how these systems can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, always looking at productivity.
To reach these results, the work happens on three main fronts.
PROF. RODRIGO — Within the scope of CCarbon, there are three major lines being conducted involving planted forests. One of them is the traditional cultivation of mono-specific forests with one species. But seeking which management adaptations bring greater tolerance to stress, mainly water and thermal stress. And what management actions will be adaptive to climate change.
The second is this issue of using legal reserves in a way that generates income for the producer, while simultaneously producing environmental services.
And the other, which is a super recent initiative, is the project called Mix4Carbon. Multifunctional forests on rural property.
This project originates from C-Carbon together with the Monte Olimpo forestry group and various partners where we will investigate water balance, carbon balance, production, adaptation of the main forest essences that are little studied in Brazil. The pine and eucalyptus genera, speaking of planted forests, are already widely studied. They still need to be investigated a lot, but they have left square one.
There are various other crops and mixed species models that are still practically at zero. I’ll give the example of African mahogany, for example. A lot has been done, but compared to what was done with eucalyptus, with pine, we are practically at square one.
So this Mix4Carbon, we are going to bring the main essences and mixtures of species to investigate on a national scale. It is a pilot project that is being planted within ESALQ areas and we are going to call various interested partners to better understand the carbon dynamics in these species compared to traditional ones, how that works.
MARIANA – This initiative is a huge step toward turning science into real solutions — solutions that combine sustainable production with fighting climate change.
With this, Brazil reinforces the leadership it already has in innovative forestry research. It shows, in practice, how science can create models that work for the rural producer and, at the same time, for the environment.
But we still have a big challenge ahead: deforestation.
PROF. RODRIGO — There are various countries that still, and even within Brazil, for the production of industrial products, for example an office desk, they go into the native forest, most of the time illegally, and harvest this wood for the production of tables on a large scale. Brazil, for example, 100% of its pulp and paper production is with species that you plant to be harvested.
So the sector, it fulfills an environmental function of substituting illegal deforestation, the use of native forests cut illegally, with these products that come from crops full of techniques, where we extract a sustainable product from an environmental, social, and economic point of view. It is obvious that there are many improvements to be made, there is a world to be explored, investigated, but the planted forest fulfills this role that I would say has an environmental scope of conservation.
MARIANA – Besides being a scientific powerhouse in this area, with research like the professor’s, investigating everything from underutilized species to innovative management models, the country also leads in sustainable production and job creation in the field.
PROF. RODRIGO — Looking at the carbon side, I reinforce this number that the sector, planted forests today, the official number is that it stocks between 2 and 2.5 billion tons of CO2 equivalent in its planted forests, in addition to the areas of native forest that are preserved by the sector.
So it fulfills this role linked to mitigating the effects of climate change. Besides the economic part, which supports around 1% of GDP in Brazil, employs millions of people and, just to give you an idea, in Forestry Engineering, which is the career most linked to planted forests, approximately one thousand professionals graduate per year and the sector surely absorbs one-third of these young people who graduate, also fulfilling a social role.
MARIANA – The professor’s words show that Brazil already has solutions working right now. While we face illegal deforestation, there is a sector producing with technique and responsibility — replacing irregularly harvested wood with planted forests, which generate stocked carbon, employment, and development.
All this reinforces that development and conservation do not need to be separate. When there is science and planning, they walk together — and Brazil shows, every day, that this is possible.
In the next episode, we will explore how climate modeling is transforming the way we produce, plan, and face climate change. Until then.
CLOSING
CCARBONCast is produced by the CCarbon USP dissemination team. This episode was narrated and scripted by Mariana Pollo, with content review by Rodolfo Fagundes Costa and Nayana Alves. Recording took place at TV USP studios, with editing and sound design by Soupods. This project is supported and funded by Fapesp.
