Ecobreves – CUBA: Forest Coverage Expands

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

HAVANA, May 1 2004 (IPS) - Cuba increased the portion of its territory covered in forests from 13.4 to 23 percent through a strategy that incorporated the creation of forestry farms. Official figures show that forests today hold more than 130 million cubic meters of usable lumber and have potential to grow 7.5 million cubic meters annually. The forestry programs expand the tree-covered area by 50,000 hectares each year, while logging involves less than 20,000 hectares. Unregulated logging from the early 15th century through the first half of the 20th century reduced the island's natural tree coverage by 13.4 percent.

On the forestry farms, numbering 700 across the country, experts use techniques to promote and preserve native species, and to prevent fires, a leading cause of the forest destruction in Cuba.