A 900 Hectare Brazilian Tree Plantation (latitude -12.16, longitude -44.61)
Fazenda Vallas I is located 40 kilometers east of Barreiras, Bahia on BR 242. An American professor in agriculture was used as a consultant in helping to select the appropriate property and to ensure the documents were in order. After a couple of trips, the owners finally purchased 900 hectares in May of 2004 from a local farmer who had owned the property since the mid 1970’s.
Construction of the farmstead started almost immediately. A well for drinking water and a 10,000 liter water tower were installed while workers built the caretaker’s house. Electricity was already at the corner of the property but an electrical contractor needed to install a transformer and connect the wires. Eventually a bunkhouse, a second smaller house, gates and roads were all built. The project to reforest 400 hectares was finally approved by IBAMA, Brazil's environmental protection agency, and the planting began.
Half a million eucalyptus seedlings were bought from a local supplier and then hand planted on over 230 hectares from November'05 to March'06. Approximately 30,000 of these trees were a special species of eucalyptus whose leaves will be used to make essential oil. A reservoir and well capable of irrigating up to 20 hectares were constructed near the farmstead and will be used for future seedling production. The remaining 170 hectares of land is being prepared for planting in 2007.
Phase II involves reforesting another 300 hectares. That work will start in late 2007 and the land will be used to plant native hardwoods such as guanandi, balsa and mohagany. The remaining land, almost 200 hectares, has been set aside as a permanent natural reserve.
Fazenda Vallas II
A 2,705 Hectare Brazilian Eucalyptus Plantation (lat -12.15, long -44.81)
Fazenda Vallas II is located 20 kilometers east of Barreiras, Bahia on BR 242 and has almost 8 kilometers of asphalt road frontage. This property was purchased in 2005 and construction is expected to start in late 2007. It took sometime to get the documents for the property updated and to secure an equity investor to help offset some of the upfront costs but things are starting to move quickly now.
This property, like most virgin land in the area, had most of its larger trees removed over the years. When we bought the property, the neighbors who are very poor were using the land to graze a few dozen cattle on what little native grasses they could find. Our project entails setting aside a 540 hectare permanent natural reserve and using the remainder of the land to reforest with eucalyptus trees. The permanent reserve is currently being reforested with native species by the owners.
The neighbors by the way have not been forgotten. They very much would like an opportunity to work on our fazenda and with a little money they hope to plant a pasture for their cattle. When it comes to certain tasks such as occasionally weeding out newly planted trees, we have a choice between buying diesel and chemicals and hiring one tractor driver or managing a small unskilled labor force. The cost is the same but some plantation owners consider managing people like our neighbors as a"hassle". We see it as just good business.
Sera do Gado Bravo
A 20,334 Hectare Virgin Forest (lat -10.11, long -44.22)
Sera do Gado Bravo is located in the southern part of the State of Piaui just outside the town of Parnagua. |
