Technical field trip
On Wednesday June 29 we will take a break from the scientific indoor sessions and take a technical field trip, a memorable one we think. We will visit some of the operations of Veracel, a company owned by two leading forest companies in the world, Fibria (the new company resulting from the fusion of Votorantim Papel e Celulose and Aracruz Celulose) and Stora Enso of Sweden-Finland. Some general information about Veracel is provided below. However you can learn more about Veracel at http://www.veracel.com.br/en/Home.aspx
Veracel team co-hosts the Conference and has given full support to a number of activities including this field trip fully sponsored by them. Veracel is located in the extreme south of the state of Bahia, a region that encompasses several municipalities including Porto Seguro. With an average distance of 45 km from the Eucalyptus plantations and 64 km from the marine terminal, its modern pulp mill started the operations in 2005.
The visit will depart at 7:30 sharp in the morning and return at 17:00 with an expected total duration of nine hours involving four hours of transit among the four stops and five hours at the stops. Brown bag lunch courtesy of Veracel will be served during the trip. The four stops will be:
(1) Field trials: in this station delegates will be able to visit progeny trials, large scale clonal trials (pre-recommendation trials) and drive by the pulp mill;
(2) Plantation and operations: delegates will "feel" some of the most productive forest sites on earth with clonal Eucalyptus growing at 70 cubic meters/ha/year. Live demonstrations of the routine silvicultural and harvesting operations will be carried out;
(3) Nursery: the visit will include a look at the microcutting/hydroponic system used to generate clonal plants, the current set-up of the indoor hybridization orchard and a description of Veracel's biotechnology program;
(4) Veracel Station RPPN: delegates will take a hike through Veracel Station, a 6,069 hectares Atlantic Forest Reserve recognized as a private reserve of natural patrimony (RPPN) by the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources. In 1999, Veracel Station RPPN was recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as part of the Discovery Coast Atlantic Forest Reserve, inscribed as a World Natural Heritage Site, confirming the universal and exceptional value of a natural area which requires protection for the benefit of mankind. After a video presentation about the Station and the various on-going research projects, delegates will take a 30 minutes hike in the forest and see some magnificent specimens of tropical tree species, several birds and possibly some mammals as well.
ATTENTION
Please note that Veracel can only accommodate 180 people for this technical field trip in four buses. These 180 places will be allotted on a first register first serve basis.
In view of this limitation, the organizing committee has decided that sign-up priority will be given to international delegates to provide an unprecedented opportunity for those that come from farther away. Brazilians will sure have other opportunities for experiencing Eucalyptus plantations and visiting the Atlantic Forest Reserve. Sorry!
SOME FACTS ABOUT VERACEL
LAND AREA. Veracel's lands totals 211,689 hectares distributed in ten municipalities in the south of the state of Bahia. Of this total, Eucalyptus plantations occupy 90,870 hectares, the equivalent of 43 % of the total. A larger land area (104,192 ha - 49%) is devoted to environmental recovery and preservation and 9% to the company's infrastructure. Some further 19,213 hectares are planted with clonal Eucalyptus by some 98 nearby farmers in the region through Veracel's Forest Planter Program.
INVESTMENT. Veracel operation represented one of the largest private investment in Brazil in the past few years. The total funds involved, some US$ 1.25 billion, include the formation and maintenance of the Eucalyptus plantations, infrastructure and mill construction. The international experience and technological knowledge of the two partners was key to the successful implementation of the industrial project.
NUMBERS. In 2008 Veracel produced 8.81 million Eucalyptus clonal seedlings for operational plantation and 495,000 seedlings of native tropical trees for restoration plantation. Also in 2008 Veracel produced 1,099,697 tons of cellulose with an average of 3,089 tons/day. Veracel is self-sufficient in energy producing some 900,000 MWh/year, energy enough to supply a 400,000 people city
JOBS. Veracel directly employs a total of 4,022 people, 3,258 permanently outsourced. In 2006 Veracel's activities supported 30,400 jobs mostly created in four industries: forestry, trade, transport, and services provided to the companies.
CERTIFICATION. Veracel forest operations were certified by the ISO 14001/2003 Environment Management Systems in 2003, from CERFLOR (Brazilian Forest Certification Program) in 2005 and by the FSC (Forestry Stewardship Council) in 2008.
