The Tree, The Forest

Brazil’s forests face significant challenges due to the high demand for valuable commodities like ipê wood (Handroanthus spp.), currently priced at up to US$6,500 per cubic meter. Legal forest management plans encompass 2.5 million hectares, but market demand requires that sixteen million hectares of forests be sustainably managed instead. This high demand, coupled with flaws in environmental monitoring, allows illegal logging to thrive. In 2019, certified forests produced only seven percent of the total ipê wood harvested, processed and sold both domestically and internationally.This slow-growing tree found in low density is heavily logged, damaging surrounding trees, degrading multiple forest areas, and leading to significant forest degradation. The life cycle of the ipê tree requires 80-100 years to mature, which conflicts with current 30-35 year management plan requirements. Sawmills using outdated technology waste over 60% of harvested wood, and only 25% of processed wood meets export quality standards.Illegal timber operations exploit workers and involve forced labor. Gaps in the Document of Forestry Origin system—a digital system established by the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) to track and regulate the transportation and commercialization of timber and other forest products from native forests—allow illegal wood to enter the market as legal commodities facilitated by corruption and fraudulent documentation. An estimated ninety percent of Brazilian timber exports are illegally harvested. This visual essay is a documentary scenario that highlights the need for more robust and transparent forest management, in order to protect Brazil’s forests and communities.