Land Stewardship and Conservation – Forest First Colombia

Land Stewardship & Conservation

FFC’s operations are helping to regenerate these areas by:

Changing local management practices
Conserving areas linked to sensitive ecosystems
Implementing proper planting and maintenance practices that are increasing soil organic matter and improving water infiltration.
Using only 60% – 70% of total area for plantation forestry and dedicating 30% – 40% of our total area to conservation of environmentally sensitive areas for natural habitat.

Sustainable Forest Management

Through the rehabilitation of degraded grassland, FFC has created new green infrastructure through the introduction of plantation forestry. The current area under FFC management was previously not protected or conserved. We manage approximately, 40 Km² of land and 198 Km² of rivers, streams and wetlands.

To date we have planted approximately 14,000 ha. This improves the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems. Degraded land that is planted will have improved soil organic matter, soil fertility and nutrition because of decomposing tree litter. Harvesting litter will also be left on site, further promoting improved soil quality.

Sustainable Water Resource Use

The long-term average rainfall in our area in Vichada has been recorded as 2,300 mm per annum. This level of precipitation is far less than is required by our eucalyptus trees therefore the plantation activities will not be impacting other water users located downstream in the catchment.

Year on year with the increase in the size of the plantation, our water use per hectare has improved having achieved a 74% reduction in overall water consumption per ha under plantation by 2018 from the initial consumption recorded in 2014.

Initial investigations suggest that on average we use 24% less water to sustain our nurseries compared with other similar operations. We will continue to benchmark our operations against similar production units to determine if our water usage efficiencies are comparable with similar size nurseries.

FFC is aware that water use and the protection of surface water features lies at the foundation of sustainable forestry. FFC has implemented a water management plan that will set future targets for water savings and reuse of water where possible in line with SDG 13. At present, FFC has improved our water use efficiency between 20 – 40 per cent in our operations.

Improving Soil Quality

Under FFC’s plantation management practices, the soil quality has improved, when compared to the grasslands not under our management. This improvement is the result of an increase in the vegetative litter layer on the soil, as the trees mature and reach canopy closure. Early evidence shows an increase in soil organic matter, which is now measured on an annual basis and is a key aspect in sustainable land management. The reduction and eventual elimination of uncontrolled wildfires allows for the soil to recover from the decades of degradation and poor management practices. Additionally, improvements in the organic carbon levels are also detected and are associated with improved rainfall infiltration and increased soil biotic activity.

Forests are vitally important for sustaining life on Earth and play a major role in the fight against climate change. Investing in land restoration is critical for improving livelihoods, reducing vulnerabilities, and reducing risks for the economy. FFC embraces a Life on Land approach and is committed to act responsibility via our operations, sustainable forest management, soil improvement and sustainable water resource use.