Ecobreves – CHILE: 120 Million Trees

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

SANTIAGO, Jul 7 2002 (IPS) - Each year, 120 million trees are planted in Chile, a reforestation pace that surpasses the rate of logging, say government officials. The area planted with new trees reaches 100,000 hectares a year, 16,000 hectares of which belong to small rural landholders, says Carlos Weber, director of the government’s National Forestry Corporation.

Farmers now see that forestry activities complement their traditional work, said Weber. Reforestation helps counteract soil erosion in rural areas, and provide green areas in urban areas like Santiago, where 70,000 trees are planted in the poorest districts each year.