FEATURE
known as commercial timber plantations or planted forests . It is a myth that timber production causes deforestation . “ Deforestation is very different to sustainable forestry ,” explains Southey . “ Deforestation is the removal of trees or clearing of forests for commercial development , housing , firewood or agriculture without replanting .”
Sustainable forestry sees to it that trees are planted , grown and harvested in line with international certification standards and local legislation . According to Forestry South Africa , only 6 % of the country ’ s total plantation area – 1.2 million hectares – is harvested annually . Felled trees are replaced in the same year by saplings , often at a ratio of 2:1 . This means there is a constant supply of trees for productive purposes for years to come – all of them are sequestering ( absorbing and storing ) carbon as they grow .
THE CONSERVATION FACTOR
South Africa is not a naturally tree-rich country like Sweden or Canada . There are only half a million hectares of indigenous forests scattered throughout South Africa or roughly 0.4 % of the total land area in the country .
“ If it wasn ’ t for the commercial planting of trees in the early 1900s , the country ’ s indigenous forests would have been eliminated many years ago for our fuel , furniture and fibre needs ,” notes Southey .
A forestry landscape is far more complex and diverse than simply rows of planted trees . Only 70 % of forestry-owned land is planted to trees with a significant proportion of the unplanted area reserved for biodiversity conservation , natural corridors , grasslands , riverine habitats , indigenous forests and wetlands .
MERRIT THOMAS | UNSPLASH
Sustainable forestry sees to it that trees are planted , grown , and harvested in line with international certification standards .
18 JUNE / JULY 2021 // www . timberiq . co . za