Travel notes of two officers of the Division of Forestry and Forest Products
THE forest resources of Latin America are very great, and the large areas of undeveloped timber. present a wonderful opportunity for improving the economic welfare and the living conditions of the people. In their efforts to achieve this improvement, the Latin-American countries can profit from the experience of other nations which have already faced similar situations. There, many regions with vast forest areas need to realize, if they have not already done so, that such a resource is not inexhaustible; that carelessness with fire and shifting cultivation must be replaced by careful husbandry and silviculture under the guidance of trained forestry technicians; and that the people generally must be helped to understand the meaning of conservation so they will support the efforts of both government and private industry.
Shipping logs by boat from Nicaragua.
There is a rapidly growing interest in Latin America in diagnosing these problems and in finding the proper solutions. Many of these countries have problems in common, and because some have already had experience in solving them, there is a real opportunity and, in fact, a need for an international approach to meeting their conservation and forestry requirements. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is in a key position to provide assistance in the combined efforts of Latin-American countries in forestry development and conservation.
These are the impressions gathered by two officers of the Division of Forestry and Forest Products on a trip through the countries of Latin America during the months of April, May, and June 1947. Their impressions are based on conversations with government officials, educators, loggers, lumber producers, tradesmen, exporters, labor union officers and members, and especially with technicians in forestry, agriculture, and engineering. Such impressions are further based on inspections of logging operations in the jungles and in the mountains, sawmills, veneer and plywood factories, pulp and paper mills, research work at experiment stations, and field work in nurseries and forest plantations.
Forest Resources
Most of South America and a large part of Central America are made up of forested countries. In many cases an important part of the economy is dependent upon the exploitation of high value timber species. Knowledge of the extent of these resources varies considerably by countries. Chile, for example, has completed a very comprehensive inventory of its forest resources, listing the forest area; its volume, its species composition, and to a considerable extent its industrial possibilities. Guatemala and Colombia are making forest inventories. In British Guiana detailed reconnaissance surveys have been made of the most accessible parts of Crown forest land which can be exploited within the next 25 years. In most of the other countries there is very little knowledge of the forest resources except from the results of botanical expeditions which in some cases have described the forest vegetation, and in other instances have actually made estimates of the numbers of trees of certain high value species, such as mahogany, Spanish cedar, and balsa. The general state of knowledge is such that considerably more work will have to be done to permit the rational exploitation of the forest resources.
Although laboratories and technological institutions have tested a great number of timbers in order to establish their characteristics and their possibilities of industrial utilization, a considerable amount of work still remains to be done. Many species are unknown or unfamiliar although they undoubtedly have commercial value. Often they are not bought for the simple reason that their local name is unfamiliar to the buyer. We have seen in the same country the same wood known by five or six different names.
Knowledge of the ownership of forest land lags far behind that of farm land in most countries. The distribution of ownership among the national government, state and local governments, and private individuals is not at all clear with regard to forest land. In several countries this presents the problem of obtaining clear title before proceeding with cutting operations. Such information is. also essential in the formulation of land-use plans designed to ensure that land which is suitable for agriculture should be devoted to that purpose and that land which is unsuitable to agriculture should be devoted to forest production
This lack of knowledge as to ownership and suitability of forest land is reflected in the appreciation or lack of appreciation of the importance of forests for watershed protection, soil erosion control, and other important influences of the forest. This lack of appreciation in turn has resulted, as in many parts of the world, in unwise clearing of land for agriculture on highly erodable soils, in careless use of fire with consequent heavy damage to timber, grass, and vegetation in general and, in fact, has rendered unusable many thousands of -acres of land which are so essential to the well-being of the rural population. This is especially aggravating in countries with high densities of population, as in the case of Haiti, Puerto Rico, El Salvador. and part of Venezuela.
Quebracho tree, the base of an important tannin industry in Argentina.
One of the great surprises to the visiting forester is the realization of the importance of reforestation problems. Thoughtless exploitation of the forests coupled with overgrazing has endangered soil stability and watersheds and has further brought about a serious timber shortage in some of the larger cities because the timber resources in the vicinity have been exhausted and the vast forests the country may still possess are so inaccessible as to be useless for the satisfaction of immediate needs. Fire, whether accidental or deliberate, is a further cause of deforestation.
Forest Industries
In a number of countries the government agencies concerned with agriculture and forest industry have started to assemble information as to wood requirements, present production of sawmills and wood-using plants, and the possibilities for domestic and foreign markets for forest products. Such studies have been made in Chile, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico, but for the most part such information is not available. A number of countries are beginning to appreciate the value of such data as a basis for plans for expansion of their forest industries. The governments are beginning to realize that the forest resources can make an important contribution to badly needed foreign exchange and for this reason are initiating statistical. services to put together such information.
In their efforts to get data both on forest resources and on forest industries, governments are confronted with the serious problem of an insufficient number of trained technicians to do the Job. Fortunately, there is an increased awareness on the part of many governments of the importance of providing special training for promising young men by sending them abroad for additional schooling and then placing them in responsible positions upon their return. Such young men will need all the help they can get from fellow technicians in other countries and from international organizations such as FAO.
Policy and Legislation
Most government officials consulted during the course of these tours expressed interest in forestry and felt quite optimistic about the possibilities of their government's translating this interest into definite action. Countries such as Mexico and Brazil - and to a lesser extent others as well - already have clearly stated policies as to public interest in their forest resources, and this has been followed up by specific legislation or forestry codes to regulate the methods of exploitation. Unfortunately in some instances, decrees and laws already on the books are not observed by the people and a serious effort will have to be made by the governments to educate the people to the need for such legislation. In some instances laws are not enforced because of lack of an adequate staff. Most countries expressed interest in receiving advice from FAO as to the basic principles which conservation legislation should cover.
Education
In recent years some governments have begun to include conservation teachings in the elementary schools. Much of this education is needed if the new generation is to improve on the methods followed by its parents and grandparents. There is a growing interest in education in general and, as more schools are constructed and more teachers become available, the inclusion of conservation in at least the primary grades should prove of real benefit in the conservation of soil, water, and forests.
Some efforts are made, as in the case of Argentina, to educate the general public to be careful with fire. In other countries, through the national parks and forests system, the general public learns to appreciate the value of forests. There are also a number of private associations which are interested in promoting conservation and there is a growing interest in this type of activity. This is, of course, a long-time undertaking, but fortunately many countries have made a start.
The most serious need in the field of education in practically all countries is that of trained technicians, as mentioned above. There are few formal forestry training centers in Central or South America. In many countries agricultural colleges train agronomists and provide courses in dendrology and wood technology to equip the young men to carry on the work in government forestry service. Recently, however, as in the case of the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina and the University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, government technical foresters, in addition to their regular duties, have begun to give formal forestry courses to students who are interested in becoming foresters. At the present time, however, most of the forestry technicians have been trained abroad, principally in the United States of America and in some cases in Germany, Italy, or Sweden. There is considerable interest in establishing local forestry schools. Cuba already has a forestry school and Chile has the beginning of such a school at Victoria. The universities at Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro could be expanded to grant forestry degrees. Until that is done, however, most countries will probably wish to continue to send increasing numbers of young men abroad.
A slightly different type of education is in the planning stage at the Inter-American Institute of Agricultural Sciences at Turrialba, Costa Rica. Here efforts will center on developing vocational training in forestry to prepare students for general ranger type of work and for logging and sawmill operations, as distinct from the technical or professional training discussed above. It is understood that Venezuela plans to send a group of students to Turrialba very shortly for such training in vocational agriculture and forestry. A similar type of vocational school was started recently at Temuco, Chile, for Chilean students; and a somewhat related vocational school is in operation at Iquitos, Peru.
Education of all types obviously requires considerable money and some of the more forward-looking private companies, as is the case in Chile and Argentina, are sending young men abroad for training, with the understanding that they will return to work for the company. There are also a number of scholarships available for training in agriculture and forestry between the United States and Latin-American countries. The governments are, in general, anxious to take advantage of these scholarships by selecting young men who will agree to devote themselves to government service for specified lengths of time following the completion of their schooling.
There is considerable interest in building up libraries of technical forestry literature, especially at the local training centers. Such an effort should be encouraged in every possible way by FAO, aided by professional and scientific organizations in all countries.
Forestry Services
The status of government forestry services has fluctuated considerably in the Latin American countries with the interest of different administrations. There have been several cases in the past, where forestry services were built up by one administration, only to be dissolved by the succeeding administration. Fortunately, the interest expressed in such work by most government officials during the course of these tours gives promise of a more stable future for forestry services in these countries. In some countries, of course, there are no forestry services and this is especially sad in those countries where the forest could, if properly serviced, make a real contribution to the economy of the country. Both Argentina and Brazil have comparatively large staffs in their forestry services but have only a limited number of trained foresters among them. In other countries the small handful of trained technicians are divided among several ministries, whose functions with regard to forestry tare not closely correlated. There is need, therefore, as expressed by many government officials, for reorganization of such forestry services; and in bringing together the forestry talent in such countries. Where public forest land has been formally set aside as national or state forests, the chief function of the forestry service is to properly administer such land. In some cases, as in Puerto Rico, British Guiana and Surinam, the foresters are responsible for methods of cutting on the concessions granted to private operators. In other places their function is merely to measure the volume of products removed as a basis for revenue collection. In most cases, however, the staff is not even sufficient to perform this function and the control of cutting on public land is not at all satisfactory, in the estimation of the local foresters.
Forestry Research
Research in forestry as a government activity has not progressed very far in most countries. In British Guiana and Trinidad wood samples have been collected for identification and testing, and studies have been carried out in planting and silviculture. In Argentina some work has been started in forest plantation research and a considerable amount of work has already been done in wood technology. In Brazil samples of wood have been tested at the Institute of Technology at São Paulo and some experimental work is under way in reforestation of Parana pine. In Puerto Rico, the Tropical Forest Experiment Station carries on work in reforestation, silviculture, and forest inventory. Plans are being made in several countries, notably in Argentina, Chile, and Colombia, for large-scale research programs. In Peru an agricultural experiment station has been set up for this purpose at Tingo Maria. This station includes work in forest nursery and plantation methods, and in growing cinchona. Similar arrangements are tin their formative stages in Bolivia.
A view of the Nahuel Huapi region, Argentina. The trees are Nothofagus sp.
In the various countries, consultation service given by the forestry staffs to private owners and operators has not been developed to any great extent until now. There is an interest in this type of work and several governments have stated that they have plans to increase their forestry staffs to make this possible. A number of operators in the wood-using industry feel that such help would be extremely useful, especially in their sawmill and lumber-drying problems. In British Guiana, for example, it is hoped to employ a sawmill specialist to advise local sawmill operators
The problem of protection from fire, insects, and disease receives varying amounts of attention in different countries. Fortunately, forest insects and diseases have not been of epidemic proportions in any of the countries visited, but fire is a very serious problem. This is especially true in Chile, where fires are said to destroy over three and one-half times as much timber as is cut annually for forest products. In other cases the shifting Agriculture which involves periodic clearing with the use of fire results in serious damage to forest stands. This is especially aggravated in Puerto Rico and parts of Central America.
The whole problem of land-use planning requires, as has been often said, a joint attack by agronomists, soil conservationists, engineers, and foresters. Too often such land-use improvement efforts have been planned and carried out without the advice of all concerned. Most forestry officials feel that they have something to contribute to such programs and have expressed the hope that in the future they will be consulted.
In most countries sawmill operators have been content to purchase logs at the mill or on the river and have, therefore, not been concerned with logging operations or reconnaissance work. Exceptions to this are found in Brazil, Chile, and Colombia, where sawmill operators hold title to the timber or to the forest land and carry on logging operations. Such operations in all countries could be planned more economically if reconnaissance information were available. In Chile at the present time such reconnaissance cruises are being made as a basis for new sawmill and logging installations. During the period 1941-45 the U. S. Government co-operated with Latin-American countries in sending out trained technicians to locate potential sources of critically needed species such as balsa and cinchona. More of this kind of work would pay for itself if private industry could obtain the trained technicians.
Road and trail construction is a very serious problem which is beginning to receive attention in such countries as Peru and Bolivia.
Long greenheart logs, British Guiana, hewn square to facilitate removal from the forest
Logging has in most cases been done without regard to the future productivity of the forest land. In the case of Parana pine in Brazil, for example, trees have been cut to a 30 or 35 cm. diameter limit which in many instances amounted to clear-cutting. In the Amazon Basin logging has been highly selective, merely removing the occasional mahogany and cedar trees, in some instances only three to five per hectare. In parts of Chile the hand and ox logging methods have necessitated a type of selective cutting which leaves the trees that are too large for handling. Where mechanized logging has been used, the timber has been clear-cut and considerable damage has been done to young growth. But there is need for guidance to private industries on proper logging methods to prevent injury to young trees and especially to avoid serious damage to watersheds. Primitive hand-labor methods, especially in the Amazon Basin, but also in Surinam and British Guiana, have necessitated the wasteful hand-squaring and -tapering of the log ends with the result that much valuable wood is left in the forest Also, the removal of the highly valuable species has resulted in "creaming" the stands so that the less valuable species remaining cannot be relogged as profitably as if the original operations had harvested all merchantable species. Mechanical logging equipment, in view of the all too common shortage of labor, is badly needed in practically all countries.
Most of the sawmill installations throughout Latin America contain antiquated machinery. There are some circular saws which produce better lumber at a faster rate but with greater waste. Throughout most of Latin America the need for fuelwood has provided a ready market for slabs and other sawmill waste. There has been a growing interest in the installation of edgers and trimmers but there is still a great need for this type of equipment. In a number of installations on the West Coast of South America, lumber companies merely resew and dress Douglas fir timbers from the United States or Araucaria pine from Chile. There are very few dry kilns and considerable information is wanted as to air-drying and kiln-drying procedures. New sawmill equipment is urgently needed and-there is a ready market for manufacturers who can promise early delivery.
There are a number of plywood plants in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Mexico which produce considerable material for local consumption. In most cases cold press methods with casein glue are used. Some new modern plants are in operation or are about to be installed, especially in Brazil and Chile. The advice of plywood and glue technicians would be very helpful in many of these places. Pulp and paper mills in Argentina, Brazil, and Chile are quite modern, and well-trained technicians have been employed in most instances. There is considerable interest in chemical conversion plants, and plans have been made in several countries, notably Chile, for such installations
The wood-using industries in most countries have not been organized into trade associations. Exceptions to this are found among the Parana pine producers in Brazil and in British Guiana, but there is much room for such organization to standardize dimensions and grades of practically all types of forest products.
Labor organization is increasing in many countries, especially in Chile. The timber workers, however, have not been organized to the same extent as mining and transportation workers. Most of the organizations are made up of sawmill and plywood plant employees; logging and. forest workers are less numerous. The trade union movement has been most developed in Chile, Mexico, and Venezuela and to a lesser extent, in Argentina and Brazil. In British Guiana the Timber Workers Union was responsible for negotiating improved wage scales and working conditions.
A new development in several countries, notably Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela, has been the setting up of Corporaciones de Fomento as independent government agencies answering directly to the Presidents of the countries. These organizations have their own funds or are able to borrow funds from local or foreign banks and from international organizations to finance the planning, construction, and operation of all types of agricultural and industrial enterprises. The main purpose is to initiate new industries and, in some cases, to provide for the ultimate ownership and operation by private capital. For the most part the officials of such corporations are aggressive, young technicians and give great promise of important expansion of forest industries.
Wood for matches in Chile, The logs are cut from alamo trees. Populus nigra italica.
Point tipped logs are brought in by ox-cart to a sawmill in Costa Rica.
In recent years the Office of Foreign Agricultural Relations of the U. S. Department of Agriculture has begun co-operative research and extension programs in collaboration with a number of countries with the objective of training Latin-American research workers to carry on the work of the experiment stations which it establishes. There are such establishments in several countries including Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, and Peru. Their programs are principally on agricultural crops, but they do have an interest in forestry research as well and hope to expand this kind of work.
The Inter-American Institute of Agricultural Sciences of Turrialba, Costa Rica, which is supported by most Latin-American countries, carries on agricultural research and hopes to develop a vocational and technical forestry training program as well as forestry research work.
The Caribbean Commission is made up of France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States - the countries having possessions in the Caribbean area. The Commission seeks to promote interchange of technical information and research facilities between the possessions and has invited the independent republics in the Caribbean to participate.
Filing a pit-saw in Trinidad. With this two-man saw boards are still made from hewn logs.
Log deck of a modern sawmill in Honduras.
The Pan American Union is performing a valuable function in acting as a clearing-house for information among the Latin-American Republics and is much interested, among other things, in conservation and improvement in the fields of agriculture and forestry. Its officials in agriculture and conservation services have been helpful to FAO in promoting its work and FAO avails itself on this occasion to gratefully acknowledge their assistance.
As a result of the interest of a number of South American countries and of the efforts of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), a program of research and education is being formulated for the Amazon Basin by the Hylean Amazon Institute.
There are also a number of organizations interested in carrying on special expeditions of exploration in Latin America. These include the New York Botanical Gardens and Yale University which are conducting expeditions into British Guiana and Surinam to collect and identify forest, and other, vegetation.
It is clear that the solution to many of the problems mentioned above will require more than the efforts of each country working by itself. An international approach and collaboration among the countries interested is essential. The International Conference for Forestry and Forest Products for Latin America will have to define clearly the problems. Later, when the FAO Latin-American regional office is established, it will be able to assist in studying those problems which the countries themselves, at the conference, will have decided are most urgent and most widespread. The forthcoming conference, therefore, holds the key to the future work of FAO in Latin-American forestry and conservation.
This well-organized nursery in Chile provides planting stock for farms and cut-over lands.
Photos accompanying this article were furnished by courtesy of Victor Bianchi and Eduardo Torricelli Department Of Forests Chile: U. S. Forest Service Argentine Embassy; Tom Gill; "The Military Engineer"; and the Co-ordinator for inter-American Affairs.
