Short Rotation Eucalypt Plantations for Energy in Brazil
A report of IEA Bioenergy Task 39
Brazil has over 4 million hectares of eucalypt plantations. Within that estate some plantations are dedicated to the production of charcoal while in some areas multiple land use includes forestry and agricultural production. Focus in recent years has been on very high initial stocking of eucalypts combined with short rotations. End use varies from bioenergy to pulp and reconstituted board companies who seek more efficient fibre production. The issue of cost effective harvesting machinery has yet to be solved although using new harvesting technologies developed for willow in the northern hemisphere and eucalypts in Australia provides concepts to be verified in Brazil.
Brazil has been a world leader in large scale eucalypt plantations with improved breeding material and now appears to be leading the world in new silvicultural options of very close spaced eucalypt plantations primarily for bioenergy production.
