From 15 million hectares around 1990 to 60+ million hectares in 2010. The explosion of industrial tree plantations (ITPs) in the South is vast and goes much faster than in the North. Cheap land and labour plus higher wood productivity make the South attractive, but it is the US and the EU together that consume most of the final products. The expansion is also driven by their banks, businesses and investment funds. This policy briefing sums up what the problem is and what policymakers can do about it.
EJOLT policy briefing on Tree Plantations
September 13th, 2012