O Brazil’s planted trees sector has reduced water consumption by 75% since 1980. The survey is done by the Brazilian Tree Industry (Ibá) and indicates that the result was obtained from the development of studies and research in the activities carried out in this segment.
The pulp industry, for example, maintains in the final product only 0.1 m³ per ton, of the 30m³ that are captured for manufacturing. Of this total, 24 m³ are treated and returned to rivers and 5.9 m³ returned to nature in the form of steam.
To carry out the study, the sector monitored almost 60 micro-basins, which allows to understand the water conditions of each region, identifying quantity and quality of available resources.
Commercial forest plantations occupy 7.84 million hectares, including eucalyptus, pine and other species (acacia, araucaria, paricá and teak). The sector conserves 5.6 million hectares of natural areas in the form of Permanent Preservation Areas (APPs), Legal Reserve (RL) and Private Reserves of Natural Patrimony (RPPNs). In addition, it recovered, in 2016, about 45 thousand hectares of degraded areas. Thus, for every 1 hectare of planted forests, it protects 0.7 hectares of natural area.