There are three European forests which emit more polluting gases than they absorb. One of them is Portuguese.

Carbon (CO2) absorption is one of the most essential functions of a forest. But in the last 20 years, three large areas of European forest have failed this important role and are effectively emitting more gases than absorbing. The Central region of Portugal is one of these areas with a negative balance. The other two are Les Landes in France and the Harz in Germany.

The Carbon Forest Project of the Journalism Fund Europe (www.journalismfund.eu) explored the three regions and analyzed how the detrimental forestry practices – like monocultures – imposed by forestry lobbies and systemic governmental failure, effectively have transformed these big forests into greenhouse gas emitters. Their common feature? All are vast areas of monoculture.

Research shows that such monoculture plantations lack the resilience needed to withstand climate change impacts, whether storms, fires or diseases. This vulnerability has led to substantial greenhouse gas emissions from these forests. Those harmful practices, however, are still frequently touted as highly lucrative and accompanied by misleading arguments about sustainability.

‘The native forest of our territory was essentially populated by oaks.’ Biologist Francisco Moreira, from the Higher Institute of Agronomy, explains why this has changed. ‘Much of the Portuguese forest today are monocultures of pine and eucalyptus because of the production of wood and woody products. However, one of the characteristics of Mediterranean oak forests is that they are better adapted to wildfires.

The Portuguese eucalyptus (gum tree) is in area one of the largest in the world. As the country is – with Brazil and China – one of the biggest producers of paper in the world pulp, the economic importance of the sector is undeniable. In 2022, 9% of the total exports came from the forestry sector, which is responsible for more than 100,000 jobs.

Consensus on the management and expansion of eucalyptus has long been at the centre of public debate. Gum trees are fast growing with a cutting cycle of 10 to 12 years, have valuable timber and are used for pulpwood or aromatic oils. In some countries, they have been removed because of the danger of wildfires due to their high flammability.

Looking at the data of the last two decades, the Portuguese forest has been a carbon sink for most years. The negative balance is created by the overwhelming increase in emissions in the years of major fires such as in 2003, 2005, 2013, 2016 and 2017 – the biggest one so far – and is especially visible in the central region of the country.

In 2018, American experts studied the most destructive and deadliest forest fire in the country’s history – claiming the lives of at least 67 people and destroying 20,000 hectares of forest – that had hit the central region of the country (Pedrógão) the year before. Behind the human tragedy, their report says, was the lack of forest management whereby the authors estimated that 80% of the Portuguese forest is not being managed properly.

Although the Portuguese forest is almost entirely (97%) in private hands, for many owners it remains a bad business. The immediate consequence of this disinterest is abandonment. Moreover, the lack of long-term prospects leads many owners to invest in fast-growing species that make a quick profit. This is the case with eucalyptus.


Enjoy your week          Approveite a semana      (pic Público/Sapo)