By October 2004 El Salvador will have a complete census of its forests and an estimate of their capacity to absorb carbon dioxide, say government officials .

According to studies carried out to date, at least 8,000 hectares of natural forests are in dire need of sustainable management plans, Julio Olano, director of the Agriculture Ministry's forestry department, told Tierramérica.

The national forestry map will include pine forests, tree plantations, mangroves and others, classified as dense, semi-dense and sparse.

El Salvador loses 59 million metric tons of soil each year due to erosion caused by deforestation.