Part 3/7:
The Inadequacy of Plantation Forestry
A troubling aspect of Chile’s tree planting was that much of the afforestation funding supported the commercial forestry sector. This led to the expansion of plantations dominated by non-native species, sometimes even at the expense of native forests. Research indicates that natural forests outperform plantations when it comes to carbon sequestration, being, on average, 40 times more effective.
Mature trees have the potential to absorb as much as 22 kilograms of carbon dioxide annually, but many of the trees planted in commercial operations are regularly harvested. Particularly concerning are species like pine and eucalyptus, which are prone to wildfires, potentially wiping out any carbon storage gains made.