As a spin-off from an EJOLT report, we published a 2 page briefing paper on industrial tree plantations that sums up the core problem of the issue, some key policy recommendations and the rationale behind them. You can expect further briefings published in our resource library, while we also work on handing these over to key policy makers.
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.
