Forestal Comaco’s heritage in 2022 is made up of 62,000 hectares between plantations of Pinus radiata, Eucalyptus globulus, Eucalyptus nitens, Eucalyptus gloni, native forest and protected zones that extend from Ñuble region to the Los Lagos region. Our native forest is very important for the preservation of native flora and fauna and their ecosystems.
In Colombia, we have a forest heritage of 23,000 hectares made up of Pinus tecunumanii, native forest and protected zones.
The Radiata Pine forest is characterized by its high productivity, which on average reaches 22 m3 per year, with a growth rate up to 4 times higher than that of the northern hemisphere. In the plantations, the aim is to maximize the economic return of the forest, for which intensive management is carried out consisting of pruning treatments at different heights, which allow obtaining knot-free pieces, which are the ones of greatest commercial value, to be used in the remanufacturing industry.
Pruning is accompanied by thinning interventions, to concentrate the volume on the best trees in the forest. The unpruned industrial logs are used as structural wood and are also used as a complement to products with high added value or further processing (pieces and parts of furniture, doors, moldings, among others). Smaller diameter and lower quality products are destined for the pulp industry.
The Eucalyptus Forest represents 74% of Comaco Forestal’s forest plantations. Two varieties are planted in these forests: Eucalyptus Glóbulus and Eucalyptus Nitens, whose productivities reach 20 and 30 m3/hectare/year for the first variety and between 30 and 40 m3/hectare/year for the second latter variety. These average annual growth values are significantly higher than the growth rates recorded in plantations in the northern hemisphere.
Once they reach the optimal rotation age, they are harvested and the wood obtained from these plantations is transformed into chips that are used as raw material for the pulp and paper industry, thanks to its high-quality short fiber.
Soil preparation for planting. In this stage, selected Radiata Pine seedlings are established in the previously prepared soil and deficient nutrients are applied to the soil to support the plant’s growth.
The lower branches of the tree are pruned in order to obtain knot-free wood. The trees with the lowest growth and defective ones are also thinned, to favor the availability of light, water, nutrients and space for the best individuals. So those that remain can grow better and with a larger diameter.
It consists of the use of the forest when it has reached its optimal levels of growth and quality. From this process, the different products of the tree are obtained: pruned logs, industrial logs and pulpable logs.
Immediately after the harvest, a new cycle is started again by planting new trees or vegetative regeneration of harvested trees.
Soil preparation for planting. In this stage, selected Radiata Pine seedlings are established in the previously prepared soil and deficient nutrients are applied to the soil to support the plant’s growth.
The lower branches of the tree are pruned in order to obtain knot-free wood. The trees with the lowest growth and defective ones are also thinned, to favor the availability of light, water, nutrients and space for the best individuals. So those that remain can grow better and with a larger diameter.
It consists of the use of the forest when it has reached its optimal levels of growth and quality. From this process, the different products of the tree are obtained: pruned logs, industrial logs and pulpable logs.
Immediately after the harvest, a new cycle is started again by planting new trees or vegetative regeneration of harvested trees.
The Native Forest –present in the VIII and IX Geographical Regions of Chile- is mainly made up of Oak, Raulí (Nothofagus alpina) and Coigüe (Nothofagus dombeyi). It is also accompanied by secondary species such as Radal (Lomatia hirsuta), Lingue (Persea lingue) and Hazel. In the X Region, the Native Forest is made up of Coigüe (Nothofagus dombeyi), Tepa (Laureliopsis philippiana), Mañío (Podocarpus) and Tineo (Weinmannia trichosperma), among others.
In some sectors of these areas covered by Native Forest, there are species such as Araucaria (Araucaria araucana) and Ciprés de la Cordillera (Austrocedrus chilensis), species that have been declared natural monuments and, consequently, protected by law. These areas are identified in our cartography as High Conservation Value Forests since they are part of our national heritage.
The Native Forest is of great importance in environmental policies regarding the protection of natural resources, such as soil, water, air and species whose conservation is of interest to the country. For this reason, national and international regulations have been issued that protect it and that aim mainly at its conservation and responsible use, that is, a management that allows the sustainable use of the Native Forest.
The Native Forest regenerates naturally, so its sustainable management requires that various types of silvicultural activities be carried out, such as the thinning of trees in poor condition, sanitary felling, selection of seed trees, land preparation for the establishment of regeneration, etc. These tasks allow the trees with the greatest growth potential to develop in optimal conditions, with better light and nutrient conditions. In this manner, through natural regeneration and silvicultural activities, a Native Forest of excellence is achieved, conserving its multiple environmental and wildlife protection services.
Finally, given that for the execution of forestry activities in general it is necessary to build access roads to the different parts of the forest, these roads and/or trails constitute an important tool to take care of the Native Forest, since on the one hand, in the event that forest fires break out, it will be easier to fight them and, on the other hand, it makes it possible to quickly detect illegal felling caused by third parties.
