UPM Biofore Magazine 1-2018

TEXT Ella Navarro   PHOTOGRAPHY UPM

T

he year 1988 is significant for Uruguay, as it marked the advent of the new forestry law and the beginning of sustainable forest industry in the South American country. Since then, forestry has become a vital part

of Uruguay’s economy and a significant transformer of many people’s lives. This year, forestry products are forecast to be Uruguay’s top export, providing no fewer than 25,000 jobs. One of the key players bringing about this transformation has been UPM, affirms Jussi Penttilä , Vice President of UPM’s Uruguay operations: “All of UPM’s activities in Uruguay are planned with a long-term view. At present, we employ 7,000 people throughout the value chain.” UPM’s plantation and wood sourcing company Forestal Oriental supplies wood from sustainably managed local eucalyptus plantations to the UPMFray Bentos pulp mill. Two advanced nurseries ensure the availability of highly productive and locally adapted eucalyptus trees. “This guarantees that we have good knowledge of the rawmaterial we use and how it affects our eucalyptus pulp,” Penttilä says. “One of the advantages of eucalyptus is that it grows fast. The seedlings we plant today will provide wood in ten years from now,” says Penttilä. “Still, what we are doing here is long-termwork”. Fostering creative partnerships The expanding forest industry has brought new opportunities onmany fronts. Ricardo Methol , Technical Development and Planning Manager at UPMForestal Oriental, explains that forestry is an all-season operation.

Long-term commitment in Uruguay

Since planting its first eucalyptus seedlings in Uruguay three decades ago, UPM has grown into a major driver of local employment and entrepreneurship. The ripple effects travel far and wide.

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