Regional Government committed to forest management and focused on rational and sustainable use of regional resources - Communication

Secretaria Regional da Agricultura e Alimentação

The Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Food announced this week in Nordeste that "the Regional Government will be putting another 101 hectares (ha) of forest up for international tender" in that municipality by the end of the year "and more than three thousand hectares over the next few years," predominantly of Cryptomeria japonica, "a highly-prized wood due to its durability."

In what he described as a strategy "from the forest to the living room or from the forest to the kitchen," António Ventura stated that this timber sale process involves the transfer of regional forest plots and forests to private companies while requiring them to meet sustainability criteria.

António Ventura spoke at the signing of a timber sale contract to promote active forest management and future commitments whose main mission is to ensure the rational and sustainable use of resources in the Autonomous Region of the Azores.

"Azorean forests ensure the supply of a range of forest products, mainly wood, with its associated economic value, supporting an entire sector of forest producers, service providers and industries in this sector," he said.

"This sector is growing and modernising, with enormous potential for expansion, which guarantees a considerable turnover and employment," he added.

The contract signed with a company in the timber sector includes the felling, reforestation and maintenance of eight plots of certified timber, covering 43.5 hectares within the Regional Forest Perimeter in the municipality of Nordeste, for 15,500 Euros over five years.

With this measure in place, the Regional Government ensures that, with the maintenance and replanting requirements, there will always be cryptomeria available within the scope of public planning.

So far, through previous tender procedures, 425.35 hectares of public forest within the São Miguel Forest Perimeter have been sold, whereas 221.42 ha have already been exploited and 182 ha have been reafforested. The works awarded under these tenders are still in progress.