Wood is Good for REDD+!

Eder Zanetti, Eng Florestal, Phd.

Normative 318/2014 (Ministry of Cities) and Normative ICMBIO 27/2014
foresee appliance of Dead Wood and Harvested Wood Products for My Home My
Life Program within Northern Region. Social housing deficit at the region is
estimate between 500,000 and 5 million units over 2014-2030. This two Federal
regulations created an institutional environmental carbon credits friendly, for
both industrial (construction) and AFOLU (REDD+) sectors, as prescribed by
IPCC2006. This project activity can help accomplishing Brazilian voluntary
emissions reduction goals within the framework of fighting deforestation and
forest degradation at the Amazon, REDD and REDD+. Overall the inclusion of
social wood housing from PMCMV can generate between 40 Million and 400
million tCO2e emissions reduction, some 7 to 70% of Brazilian goal for the sector
within the Amazon. To make this potential reality it is necessary to implement an
appropriate MRV methodology to follow carbon behavior along social wood
housing models production chains within the region, and to develop a Program
Of Activities Carbon Project Document.
With the aim of reducing global GHG emissions, UNFCCC includes forest
management and increase of standing stocks project activities amongst innovations for
tropical forests income, social including and environmental protection. The so called
REDD = Reduction of Emission from Deforestation and Degradation (conserves the
Carbon stocks) and REDD + = Increase on forest cover, conservation and sustainable
forest management (more carbon) and the HWP = Harvested Wood Products.
According with FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization), Deforestation means:
changing on land use with reduction of tree crow cover below 10% by hectare while
Degradation is translated as: change between forest classes (f.e. from close to
open) which negatively affects the site and, in particular, reduces its productivity
capacity. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - IPCC2006 guidelines for GHG
inventories from different sectors holds chapter 4 to AFOLU (Agriculture, Forests and
Other Land Uses), including accounting procedures for Dead Wood DW and
Harvested Wood Products - HWP. Within IPCC2006 Dead Wood (DW) is classified as
all kinds of branches, leaves, roots, dead trees and other types of biomass not included
as litter or soil. Harvested Wood Products (HWP) are all wood material leaving project
activities boundaries other materials remaining within boundaries are to be accounted
as DW. Because of this, wood used within project activity boundaries for fencing,
furniture, construction, energy and others must be accounted as DW when determining
forest areas carbon sequestration and storage, including from those without a formal
Sustainable Forest Management Plan SFMP. At those areas holding SFMP the rule is
the same regarding DW, and besides this logs, timber, firewood and others imports and
exports are also to be accounted for as HWP.
Methodological issues UNFCCC project activities related, determined some basic
aspects for project activity implementation, including: Estimates and Monitoring; MRV
methodology which are robust and consistent and; applicability of the MRV
methodology according to IPCC.

Project activity geographical boundaries will determine DW or HWP

accountability. REDD project activities incorporate DW to contribute for estimates and
monitoring robustness and consistency, according with IPCC2006. Within a given forest
project activity boundary, for example a Brazilian Federal Conservation Unit,
DW includes biomass used for fencing, house construction, furniture, energy and
others. At subnational and national levels DW must be accounted for its mitigation effect
over deforestation and degradation drivers. As it is with REDD, REDD+ project activities
at subnational and national levels DW will contribute to deforestation and degradation
combating performance improvement. However at REDD+ it is possible to include
strategies to increase Tropical Forests HWP consumption as an additional alternative to
reduce drivers pressures and increase Brazilian Federal Conservation Units
contribution to global climate change mitigation. REDD+ is, by definition, national, which
favors strategies focusing on using tropical wood as an alternative to reduce Brazilian
forest degradation and deforestation emissions.
My House My Life Program is a Brazil Federal government program producing
housing units that after built are sold to families. Enrolled at the program are the Ministry
of Cities, CEF (CaixaEconmica Federal) Bank, Federal Official Finance Institutions,
D.C., States, Municipalities and construction companies. The ministry of cities is
responsible for guidelines, rules and conditions, to define resources distribution
amongst federative units and monitoring and following of project performance.
Ministry of Cities` Normative 318/2014 describes about the use of wood in
construction and renovation of social housing within My Home My Life Program
(PMCMV). The normative authorizes construction of wood housing, initially for Northern
region, for income group 1 (family agricultures, indigenous etc). Wood from close to 50
native tropical timber species that can be used at construction (according with
specifications) must come from sustainable sources and can be taken from inside
geographical boundaries of Federal Conservation Units. ICMBIO`s Normative 27/2014
excuses wood from Federal CUs used to cope with normative 318/2014 from
presenting a Sustainable Forest Management Plan SFMP. For Legal Reserves at
private properties and other native forestlands, including timber bought from the market,
it is necessary to present forest origin documentation, with harvesting authorizations
and fiscal coupons.
Brazil adopted voluntary goals for emissions reductions within the period 20122020 with focus on fighting deforestation. GHG emissions reductions has been a large
world concern as it faces climate change and raising on environmental disasters.
Among sectors related to these impacts is construction, today one of the largest CO2
emitters in the planet. For each 1 m3 of native tropical biomass harvested in Brazil 0.14
m3 of final use HWP are generated.
At harvesting a large portion of aerial biomass carbon is transferred to HWP and
will be available at one of the forest products categories. Forest areas biomass volume
is used as starting point for HWP carbon estimates, applying specific conversion factors
for each destination log production. Estimates related to wood products baseline are
available under the format of volumes delivered to industrial plants or in terms of their
outputs, comprising industrial logs or primary HWP (boards, planks, panels or paper).
Carbon availability at those HWP over the years is estimate allocating other parameters

which indicate carbon amount in use and destined to landfills. HWP Carbon estimates
Recycling inclusion relays upon data availability.
Estimates of forest products contribution, in terms of carbon, use generic
variables, including (i) domestic HWP and imports (tCO2e / year); (ii) annual variation of
HWP produced domestically, including annual variations on exported HWP (tCO2e /
year); (iii) annual imports of all kinds of wood and paper (tCO2e / year); (iv) annual
exports of all kinds of wood and paper (tCO2e / year); and (v) annual HWP (tCO2e /
year). The level of lost on solid products and paper, in a given year, are specified
towards the use of a lost constant (k), which by convenience is expressed in terms of
half-life in services, in years. Half-life in service describes the number of year necessary
for half of the material to change environment, which can be, for example, from a home
to landfill, within that sector where it remains stored. Solid wood and paper production,
imports and exports are converted from m3 or tons into tCO2e.For annual estimates
calculation the method uses yield data (Consumption = Domestic Production + Imports
Exports).
Globally forests store circa of 8.4 billion tCO2e and are capable of retaining some
further billions, while 4.2 to 20 billion tCO2e are estimated to be stored within HWP in
use. World wood production includes more than 1.5 billion m3 / year of industrial logs,
accounting for something like 1.1 billion tCO2e / year (WGCCFP, 2004), with 420 million
m3 of sawed lumber and 220 million m3 on plywood and panels - representing some
20% of total in long life-spam forest products, which sequester and store close to 200
million tCO2e each year.
The 3.4 billion m3 of yearly global harvested wood is equivalent to just 20% of
total yields (some 17 billion m3 / year). A lot from what is harvested becomes used for
direct and inefficient burning as fuel wood. Increasing the biomass amount taken from
forests and harvesting yields would have a profound positive effect to fight global
warming. With the use of extra 2 billion m3 / year industrial woods will be possible to
reduce between 14 and 31% of all cement and steel GHG emissions and between 12 to
19% of all fossil fuel consumption by the use of residues from industrial wood
production chains for clean energy appliances. With the intensification of sustainable
forest management more CO2 is sequestered and stored avoiding emissions from
alternative materials and still producing renewable energy from harvesting residues.
Besides, harvested volumes are renewed. Brazil has by far the largest global stock and
growth of hardwoods which have the longest life-spam between tree species, making
them relevant suppliers of HWP storing carbon for many years.
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change UNFCCC was
established with the aim of analyzing from the scientific, socioenvironmental and
political points of views technological solutions which can be broadly used around the
globe to stop CO2 levels from raising. Being as such is essential that those
technologies under transference from Developed to Developing Countries, within
anthropogenic global climate change adaptation and mitigation objectives, become
useful by local populations on the short, medium and long terms. Those technologies
must place a contribution for implementing a sustainable development pattern from
social, economic and environmental perspectives. Technologies which contribute to
improve economic activity, social inclusion and preserve environmental quality.

Brazilian Amazon forest biodiversity rational use from wood species cultivated
under contemporary silviculture techniques is key to assure its conservation. DW and
HWP consumption for social wood housing construction and renovation assures
demand intensification. From one side native tree species plantations guarantee an
increase on stock and yields levels while at the other point construction companies
make native trees species wood market available. Along pre-history, Ancient Age,
Middle Age, Modern Age and Contemporary Age trees and forests have gone through
modifications. These modifications include continental derive, glaciations and interglaciations, meteorites, storms, plagues, animals and relationships with men. At the
begging there were some 27,000 trees per inhabitant in the planet all of which from
native forests, while nowadays the 370 trees available for each person are majorly
represented by semi-natural (75) and plantation (43) forests both werent around even
at the Modern Age. From the economic and social point of view the investment for
creating a job post within the forest sector is of US$ 600 while US$ 17,000 are needed
to do the same at urban areas in Brazil. Diversified native tree species plantations for
industrial use is essential to assure an increase on the level of jobs creation, income
generation and forest biodiversity conservation. There should be a significant increase
on the number of species and hectares cultivating native woods in Brazil over the next
decade or two.
In Europe and United States the cultivation and consumption of native forests for
industrial use is historical and responsible for stock and yields levels increase.
Selection of individuals, seed collection, nursery production, fertilization, irrigation,
breeding and genetic modification turned European stocks from 100 to 300 m3 / ha
between the XVIII and XX centuries. US native tree species cultivation at Southern
Florida reached 450 m3 / ha from the same 100 m3 / ha. In Brazil the same has been
observed from a variety of wood species be it introduced (Pinussp, Eucalyptus sp etc)
or native (Araucaria angustifolia, Schizolobiumamazonicum etc).What is observed is a
forest biological reaction to silvicultural treatments determining short and long term
productivity and stocks increase. Replacing natural regeneration by forest plantations
increases standing stocks and summed up the positive effects of contemporary
silviculture elevates harvesting volumes. In the world circa of forest plantation are
from country`s native species. Countries with significant natural forest reserves, as
Canada and Russia, coordinate project activities by species occurrences micro regions,
the Ecological Zones of Occurrence or Ecoregions. At North America proportion of
introduced tree species under cultivation is less than 5%, while in South America less
than 5% of forest plantations are from native tree species. Only in Oceania there will be
a little more than 20% of native tree species under cultivation, in Africa they are 60%, in
Asia 70% and in Europe 90% of cultivated forests are from native tree species.
Within those regions with larger timber consumption in the planet the forest cover
has increased over the last 25 years, as in Europe, China and India, while within
regions with less consumption of industrial logs deforestation is the rule for the same
period. It is the consumption of industrial logs which contributes to keep and increase
forested areas, reducing deforestation and degradation at large.
For My Home My Life Program (PMCMV) and the National Rural Housing
Program (PNRH) at Brazilian Northern region, the use of tropical woods from
sustainable sources replacing social housing cement and steel, increasing stocks and

yields productivity of native timber species silvicultural technologies, commercial

expertise at all levels (marketing, Capacity Building, distribution networks, certification
etc), industrial developments (reconstituted panels, liquid wood etc) and adequate
finance (Green Bonds, Green Climate Fund etc) are essential. Carbon credits to
construction sectors for using wood building technologies will contribute to organize a
national sectoral strategy for GHG emissions reductions. For gaining international
recognition and assure national goals contribution this Brazilian construction sector
strategy must be aligned to UNFCCCs technical and institutional requirements.
Only the available industrial like forested areas in the Amazon are capable, under
SFMP, to contribute for amplifying forest sector participation from todays 4.5 % to over
7 % GDP, equivalent to an annual income of more than US$ 43 billion. Amazon region
ecosystem services market potential has been estimated at around US$ 2-4 trillion /
year.
Although there is an apparent competitive advantage when it comes to
availability of biomass, Brazil still portrays moderate HWP consumption while the
neighboring South American countries have minimum levels. Generally developing
countries expand consumption when forest plantations increase their presence, with
lower costs and improved technological and managerial procedures, being
systematically promoted to the market under political and institutional support.
Brazilian ecosystems sustainable management relays upon technological
interventions. With investments directed to appropriate silvicultural technologies,
national wood products from Brazilian native tropical timbers will be highly competitive
at international Green Economy markets. Brazilian tropical timber species diversity,
productivity and qualities being cultivated under contemporary silvicultural techniques
are capable of placing native forest sector amongst world`s greatest. Native forest
species biodiversity cultivation contribution from the use of Brazilian woods will be a
direct result from consumption incentives. National regulations must incentive the use
and consumption of native timber from sustainable sources as a way of assuring forest
biodiversity cultivation sustainability.
Increasing forest and HWP carbon sequestration and storage is the same as
reducing emissions, and it represents a significant opportunity to private investors on
engaging at voluntary Corporate Socioenvironmental Responsibility CSR activities or
even at international carbon markets. Registered carbon credits can supply an income
source for landowners, support rural development and facilitate SFM. Logs produced to
supply industry with sustainable sources can receive payments directed to improve
technology at silviculture, industry, commerce and funding towards tropical forests.
When tropical timber used by society comes from sustainable origins it increases
forestlands carbon sequestration and storage.
Brazil holds the largest stock of hardwoods in the planet. Some of those tropical
hardwoods have characteristics that make them therapeutic, comfortable, charming as
well as immune to fungi and insect attacks. Brazilian tropical hardwoods, just as
softwoods, possess a diversity of qualities which are hard to be reached by any other
tree species in the world. Those unique qualities are competitive advantages that can
be used to enhance Amazon biodiversity cultivation tropical timber consumption role.
With a growing and promoted consumption increase, rural landholders have markets
available to justify necessary investments on Brazilian native tropical timber species

cultivation. Use of adaptive SFM, biodiversity banking regional strategies

implementation and the use of contemporary industries (MDF, HDF etc) value
aggregation will increase social inclusion chances and, by that, project activity
sustainability over time.
At construction sector, Brazil has an estimate social housing deficit of between 8
to 10 million units and a growing rate directly linked to population expansion. Applying a
volume of 5 m3 / house the estimated demand reaches 50 million m3 just for the deficit
representing a total of approximately 25 million tCO2e only on HWP. The use of wood
as an alternative material for replacing other materials can generate even more carbon
credits from GHG emissions reduction. In a study conducted comparing a traditional
social housing model of 52 m2, built by Parana State Housing Company COHAPAR
and identified as: Hose type R1 and R1A CF52 and a model built by Brazilian
Ministry of Environment Forest Products Laboratory LPF/MMA called: Wood Social
Housing also with 52 m2, the total of GHG emissions was obtained.
The COHAPAR model already used 5.8 m3 of HWP the highest volume for this
kind of housing in the country and was evaluated comparatively to LPF/MMA model
which applies 9.2 m3 of native timbers. The economy in terms of GHG emissions came
from using circa of 50% more wood and, for that, carbon stored is 1.7 tCO2 / house
larger. As by using less materials with production chain higher energy demand, the total
emissions reduction is 10.4 tCO2e / house for LPF/MMA model. Altogether 12.1 tCO2e
less by unit associated to wood housing. This value gets incorporated at national
inventories to accomplish REDD+ voluntary goals as HWP associated to wood housing
program from construction sector. Along wood housing production chain the total GHG
emissions reductions impact was estimated at 83 tCO2e / unit. The remaining 71
tCO2e are related to REDD and REDD+ activities from AFOLU sector. Both sectors
contributions are valid to comply with Brazilian REDD+ emissions reductions goals for
the Amazon region.
For Brazilian Amazon Normative 318/2014 will contribute to answer a social
housing deficit of between 500,000 and 5 million units, considering 2014-2030
timeframe. Appliance of tropical woods from sustainable sources at PNHR and PMCMV
can generate an emissions reduction impact varying from 41 to 400 million tCO2e,
corresponding to something as 7 to 70% of Brazilian 564 million tCO2e reduction goal.
Construction use of HWP represents a reduction of 6 to 60 million tCO2e while DW from
REDD and REDD+ hold 35 to 350 million tCO2e, or 6 to 60% of Brazilian goal. An
expanding region and important natural resource base for Brazilian sustainable
development, the use of industrial wood from the Amazon can be much more significant
to improve northern region countrys contribution in the near future.
Tackle Climate Change: Use Wood is a European Parliament program directed
to strength societal use of wood as a way of fighting atmospheric CO2 accumulation.
French has de Bois-Construction-Environment, England the Wood for Good,
Netherlands Centrum Hout, Denmark Trae Information, Finland Puuinfo, Belgium
Wood Forum, Spains Viver Con Madera, Australia Wood Naturally Better and
Austria and Italy Promo Legno are few from national, binational and multilateral
networks for the promotion of wood use as a form of global climate change mitigation.
International Wood Culture Society (IWCS) is a non-profit organization formed by
wood enthusiasts, dedicated to research, education and promotion of wood culture.

IWCS advocates for a harmonious living between people and nature, explores the value
of wood use from a cultural perspective and supplies a platform for studying wood
culture, encouraging its practice and promotion. IWCS established March, 21 st as Wood
World Day, a data to disseminate the value wood aggregates to daily life. IWCS, just as
Normative 318/2014, PMCMC and PNHR promote the concept that: Wood is Good!

rvores / habitante no mundo na Idade Moderna e Idade Contempornea