Diagnosis of the current situation:

In the Central Zone of Chile, plantations of Eucalyptus globulus and Pine radiata were established with the same standards and conditions with which they were established in regions with much higher rainfall, from the eighth region to the south.

The Radiata Pine is very plastic and has a high capacity for resistance and response to the climatic demands of drought and heat, however, Eucalyptus globulus (Eucalyptus) does not have this plasticity and in the Central Zone it is frankly degraded.

This species of the Eucalyptus genus requires 800-1,000 mm of precipitation/year and in the Central Zone , we have rainfall around 50% of this or less. Established plantations with 1,200-1,600 trees/hectare in the South perform well, however, in the Central Zone, these densities are not sustainable. And if we also consider that from the second rotation onwards, management is carried out leaving 2-3 shoots/stump, then we have forests with more than 3,000 trees/hectare. Unsustainable!

With this population density, the evapotranspiration of the forest is much higher than the water available in the soil and the forest is degraded, becoming fragile to attack of insects, it withers, does not develop and tends to die.

Characteristics:

Planting Eucalyptus globulus at 1,200 plants /hectare and 3 shoots per vine…..3,000 trees/ha.
Eucalyptus tips dried and heavily damaged by the Eucalyptus Weevil.
Eucalyptus weevil larvae and adults. Nationwide pest that intensifies its attack on weakened trees.

Proposed model:

The bibliography based on experiences of other countries, indicates that the only way to address a situation like this is to lower density. There is talk of 600-700 trees/hectare. That is to say, the existing Eucalyptus globulus plantations in the Central Zone require strong thinning of shoots, leaving only 1 for each stump and also removing stumps to leave only 600-700 live strains of the 1,200-1,600 initially planted.

So, our proposal is:

As far as possible, replace E.globulus plantations with some species with better performance in the Central Zone. Which one?...each area, each species and the possible markets to address must be analyzed.
As long as the species is not changed, the Proposal will be to lower the density of the plantations and for this, in Bosques del Norte we are committed to finding markets for the products that are extracted from the thinning of shoots so that this intervention is financed and is not a cost for the owner.

The current Eucalyptus management model considers harvesting at 10 years and thinning shoots 2 years after harvest, leaving 3 shoots per stump or vine. This determines that there are 3,000 trees/hectare and very degraded forests.

The Proposed Model suggests delaying the first harvest to year 12, thinning shoots after 2 years, leaving 3/stump and after 6 years, carrying out a Commercial Thinning leaving only 1 trunk/stump and 700 live vines until harvest (years to be determined).

This Model presents several challenges:

Develop markets for what is extracted in Commercial Thinning.

Efficiently and effectively eliminate the weakest strains (about 300-400 strains) at once of the first harvest.
Determine the optimal time for the 2nd harvest.

Commercial thinning per year 6-8 of the first harvest. Extraction of different products.

Development of a Sustainable Forest Management Model for Eucalyptus plantations