Search

This study aimed to analyze the variables that influence freight cost in the forest supply chain and to fit nonlinear regression models to estimate the freight cost of wood transportation from the production areas to the processing units. The data used for cost analysis considered the following variables: volume of wood (m3); average fuel consumption (km/l) and average speed of the complete journey (km/h) per round trip. The results showed that there is a strong positive correlation between the variables transport distance and the freight cost of the wood, as well as between the moisture content of the wood and the freight cost of the wood. The load capacity of the vehicle combinations showed a mean negative correlation with the freight cost of the wood, and the length of the wood did not show a correlation with the cost of the transported wood. The fitted models for estimating the value of wood freight showed a high degree of adjustment of the dependent variable, indicating a good capacity for extrapolating the results from these variables. Such results emphasize the importance of optimizing transport routes, controlling wood moisture, maximizing vehicle volumetric load capacity, and using cost forecast models in order to make correct and efficient decisions in the forest supply chain context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The historical analysis of the economic and social evolution of humanity clearly and consistently shows that it was the result of the progressive process of transformation of natural areas, mostly occupied by forests, agriculture and pasture, which led to a significant reduction, or even to the disappearance of the previously extensive forests. The period from 1966 until mid-1986 was a milestone in Brazilian forest history. More than 7 million hectares have been reforested with pine, eucalyptus, araucaria and fruit trees. This process, which allowed the reduction of personal income tax, was an extremely creative attitude and perhaps the most important forest policy that Brazil has experienced, from its discovery to the present day. Job creation and employability leaves no doubt. Today, by analyzing the spatial distribution of large forest industries, we have the location map of the forest park, which was largely determined by the economic forest zoning. This period was very useful for research in all fields of forest science, especially the technological use of wood, its physical mechanical characteristics, not only those of afforestation, but also materials from the Amazon forest. Planting thousands of hectares of pine and eucalyptus has helped to save thousands of hectares of native forests and continues to play this role. It is also necessary to highlight in this period inclusion of the Amazon for its plant heritage, which has come to play a prominent role in the strategy of the government and, of course, for the national forest economy. Obviously, it was already glimpsed what would be the international pressures for the nation to have a conservationist conduct towards this Brazilian heritage. The scientific and technological developments of the Brazilian forest sector, resulting from actions emanating from universities, research institutions and, especially from the private sector, allow us to state that it was due to this fruitful institutional interaction for the development of forest research that this great success was achieved; and few were the national sectors that had such vast experience. Sustainability in the use of natural resources has conditioned them for current and future generations and has imposed a new dynamic on the planted forest sector, and especially within the Amazon Forest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest plantations represent the fourth largest crop by planted area in Brazil. However, leaf-cutting ants can compromise their establishment and development. Atta and Acromyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) ant genera are the main pests in Eucalyptus and Pinus plantations, and their management is fundamental to maintain the forestry sector. Here, we describe biological aspects of leaf-cutting ants in Brazilian commercial forest plantations and the feasibility of different methods to control these insects. Physical and biological control methods are not effective in suppressing leaf-cutting ants nests of any size. Chemical control is the most used method and is based mainly on ant baits with high efficiency, easy application, and low operational cost. Ant baits comprise a carrier, usually citrus pulp, and an active ingredient. Dodecachlor was the first active ingredient used on a large scale in ant baits in Brazil. The use of this chemical was suspended because of its toxicity and persistence and replaced by sulfluramid, which is currently the most used active ingredient in ant baits. Although this compound controls leaf-cutting ants effectively, the raw material used in the manufacture of sulfluramid (perfluorooctane sulfonyl fluoride) was listed at the Stockholm Convention in 2009 as a persistent organic pollutant. Diverse alternative control methods have been tested without success and for this reason, sulfluramid is still used to control leaf-cutting ants. Regardless of the effectiveness of sulfluramid-based baits, researchers should put more effort into developing control methods safer to the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores how the quality of institutions influences the strategic choice of agents in the pulp and paper production system based on the forest plantation sector. In order to proceed with the study, we employ the Economic Analysis of Property Rights (Barzel, 1982, 1989, 2002) as foundation, and test the proposition: in federative states where the institutional environment is fragile and therefore the State has a high cost to enforce property rights, private mechanisms stand out in the protection of property rights. According to Dixit (2009, p. 8), "if the government does not pro tect property rights, at least not as well as owners require, many private arrangements arise to satisfy the owners' needs". The analysis of three business cases of companies with plantations in more than one federative unit revealed the broad range of private mechanisms in place to cope with insecure land rights. In addition to countrywide strategies, in the federative units where government fails to be a good property rights steward, we found geographically specific initiatives being used. Another finding was the identification of variables that are able to evaluate the quality of institutions and employed in the companies' decision-making process for the selection of land rights protection strategies. Findings altogether are empirical evidence of how the quality of institutions influences the strategic choice of land rights protection in the forest plantation sector in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative study indentifies how corporate responsibility (CR) practices are diffused to companies, as well as the factors that influence this diffusion process. Forest companies, industry associations, non-governmental organizations, and academics in Brazil, Canada, and the United States participated in this interview-based study. Data emerging from a grounded theory approach revealed three factors influencing the diffusion of CR practices to companies: (1) external contextual characteristics, (2) connectors, and (3) experts and expert organizations. These three factors influence each other, meaning that the diffusion process of CR practices is somewhat cyclic. These interactions are usually manifested by companies and expert organizations influencing each other’s actions, being influenced by the external environment, and contributing to the CR trends that are observed in the external environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]