company exports its products to over 15 countries in Asia, America and Europe and its corporate mandate is to provide a high quality product based on sustainable forestry management.


Since 2001, the company has been certified to FSC standards: this recognises its exemplary use of forestry resources and its adherence to specific economic, social and environmental regulations in terms of forestry management.


Given its geographical location and smooth topography, Uruguay is ranked among the world’s leading countries in terms of environmental sustainability. Its forestry industry has been growing steadily since the late 1980s, thanks to the introduction and implementation of positive government policies.


The total land area owned by Urufor is 52,000 hectares or 128,000 acres. To date, the planted area covers 27,000 hectares or 67,000 acres, with current demand leading to 1300 hectares being harvested annually.


Where it all begins To guarantee the production of high quality wood, Urufor says the procedure starts at the nursery. Its Tree Improvement Program for Eucalyptus grandis strives to enhance the growth and performance of this species on existing forestry sites, at the same time working to strengthen disease tolerance and develop genetic diversity.


Working in conjunction with its associate company, Cofusa, seeds are carefully selected and improved over several generations, with vegetative reproduction technology cloning outstanding performing trees. Approximately 1.5 million seedlings are planted on an annual basis, ensuring sustainability on a grand – or perhaps that should be, grandis – scale!


After six months, small plants developed at the nursery are transplanted to land where new forests will be established. Soil preparation, fertilisation and weed control are all closely monitored throughout the process to ensure the development of a satisfactory and sustainable plantation.


Pruning and thinning techniques are carried out later on in the process to generate a good yield of logs with no defects and large diameters. The first pruning is carried out when the seedling reaches 18 months, the second at three years, and the third after four-and-a-half years. By this time, the trees have already grown to 12 metres in height.


Harvest time With crop development and growth completed, harvesting can begin. Due to the favourable conditions of the soil and the climate, as well as Uruguayan investment in road improvement, harvesting continues throughout the year.


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This uninterrupted activity paves the way for ongoing reforestation, further benefitting sustainability and environmental protection.


The future is Red, the future is Grandis In the 20-plus years I’ve worked in the timber industry, I’ve learned that although progress often seems frustratingly slow in communicating the imperative need to achieve environmental protection and forest sustainability, the programmes and results that are emerging are very encouraging. In forestry terms, where change is measured in decades, the 20th century witnessed destructive devastation, as the global hardwood industry ravaged environmentally sensitive forests.


In the early 90s, I went on my first overseas mission to investigate what was happening with Brazilian mahogany. It didn't take long to find out. Forestry management plans were bogus works of fiction and the Amazon forest was being wrecked by loggers interested only in a few valuable trees per hectare. It’s hardly surprising that today we sell little or no Brazilian hardwood.


The story was similar in many other forests of the world, particularly, though by no means exclusively, in tropical developing countries. Thankfully, we’ve learned some valuable lessons from that damaging period in our environmental heritage. The path to change has brought about scrupulous supply chain auditing, stringent certification and the introduction of plantation grown hardwoods.


In the 21st century, more and more organisations, governments, companies and individuals are working to reverse and repair the damage done to the world’s rich landscape. Gradually, we are learning how to protect our ecosystems, while at the same time harvesting timber from environmentally benign sources.


It is timbers such as Red Grandis and companies such as Urufor which are leading the way. The next 20 years will be beneficial for hardwood sourcing, and for an industry - and a world - with little to fear and much to gain.


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