09-04-2016 - The benefits may extend well beyond increased production. Romain Pirard

Large-scale mono-culture plantations have been criticized for a bevy of reasons: land grabbing, forest destruction, poor environmental services, unfair distribution of benefits, and the list goes on.
So it might sound counter-intuitive, and even provocative, to suggest timber plantations as a prime solution to promote forest conservation. Yet this forms the basis of a theory derived during the early 20th century, which this article will refer to as the ‘plantation conservation benefit’ theory. It stipulates that generating value out of wood production is actually an effective way to protect a given tract of forest.
To examine this theory, let’s go back to its origin. The starting point sounds reasonable enough: by planting trees at scale to be managed intensively in order to achieve higher productivity, one can produce enough timber to spare the remaining natural forests. In other words, one can substitute wood derived from the forests with wood produced from the timber plantations.
To further test this theory, we reviewed evidence in a recently published study.
A first observation is that although not much research has been completed – or at least published – a wealth of information exists. This is primarily because the research draws upon an amazing diversity of methods. Each of these methods allows scientists to look at different angles of the question, which appears to be as complex as it seems straightforward.
These methods include pure descriptive statistics that illustrate long-term trends. For instance, research shows that wood production from natural forests actually peaked in 1989 and plantations are filling the gap.
Another research method uses theoretical modeling, which highlights the risk of displacement effects. For instance, establishing a timber plantation in one area could displace agriculture to another forested area, which is not easy to track, but definitely determines the ultimate impacts of plantations.
Yet another way to approach the issue is by using econometric models. These lead to other possible scenarios. For instance, efficient and productive management of expanding plantations could result in the oversupply and enhanced demand of timber, as consumers react to lower market prices. The danger here is creating new demand for wood. After all, why wouldn’t someone want to replace his or her plastic chairs with fancy wooden ones if timber was rendered more affordable?