Our Forests
Our Forestry and Resin Extraction division manages the planting, extraction of gum resin and timber across approximately 55.000 hectares, distributed among owned areas, partnerships, leases, and forestry development programs.
Forestry & Management
The first step in establishing a forest is choosing the genetic material to be planted. Our Genetic Improvement Program, initiated in the 1980s, is responsible for producing superior genetic material from various species adapted to the diverse climatic conditions of the country. Our Forestry Research Program promotes continuous improvements in processes and products, both in seedling production and forest management. The result is highly productive and healthy forests.
During the forest planting and maintenance phase, we follow silvicultural and management practices established in the literature, adjusted by our Forest Research Program, and approved by the FSC® standard.
Forestry
Site Clearing
The area where the forest will be planted needs to be free of competing vegetation. This can be done through mowing and/or herbicide application.
Leaf-cutting Ant Control
It is generally carried out using ant baits, applied in a localized manner.
Subsoiling / Planting
In areas where mechanization is possible, we perform subsoiling to speed up the planting process and facilitate the penetration of the seedlings' root system into the soil.
Where subsoiling is not possible, manual hole digging is carried out. In this case, a staking operation is performed beforehand to ensure that the correct spacing is followed. Planting holes are opened to accommodate the seedlings during planting.
Planting
This is a manual operation that should preferably be carried out during the rainy season. Each hole opened receives one seedling, the loosened soil is returned, and pressure is applied at the planting site to prevent the formation of air pockets.
During planting, care must be taken to ensure that the seedling’s root ball does not bend inside the hole (J-rooting). The seedling collar must remain at ground level, neither buried too deep nor left exposed.
Replanting
It should be done around three months after planting.
Forest Management
Area cleaning
Fighting ants
Control is usually carried out using ant bait, in a localized manner, upon identifying damage in the forest.
Thinning
Limbing
Pruning is done to leave the panel to be resin-coated free of branches. The trunk should be pruned up to approximately 3.5 m in height, which is generally the height at which resin extraction is carried out.
Forestry Research
A key factor in the success of a forestry project is the selection of the seedling to be planted. Since the 1980s, the Grupo RB has been developing research and genetic improvement activities aimed at increasing the productivity and quality of gum resin from Pinus spp. The forestry improvement program has well-defined strategies, planned in the short and long term, to obtain the desired genetic materials.
Thanks to the high genetic diversity of the Pinus genus, the breeding program has been able to manipulate desirable traits through mass selection, controlled crosses and hybridizations, progeny and provenance testing, always seeking to obtain genetic materials adapted to meet the most diverse purposes and environments. This action has led to gains in the quality of raw materials, increased resistance to pests and diseases, and increased production at the lowest possible cost. Currently, the Forestry Research Department develops work in the areas of biotechnology, genetic improvement, cloning, nursery, resin extraction, forest management and nutrition.