UPM Forestal Oriental Annual Report 2022

OUR HERITAGE: A MEETING PLACE WITH ASSOCIATED PRODUCERS

Meeting face to face with our Associate Producers after two years in a pandemic marked the return of the bond strengthening activities we have maintained since the start of the programme. At the beginning of the year we opened our doors for our clients to continue strengthening their knowledge regarding the historical, cultural, and environmental values we preserve. A lso early in the year we were present at a national event in Soriano (Expoactiva) to share a lunch with Associate Producers from all over the country. A few weeks later we met at the UPM Forestal Oriental experimental station in El Carapé, Maldonado,

We also hosted another event for Associate Producers at our reserve area in La Rinconada, Tacuarembó. The tour of the extensive sand dunes, commonplace in this area, was led by UPM’s Biodiversity Coordinator Iván Grela. Later, it was time to learn about the history of the place and surrounding area from historian Óscar Padrón Favre. The meeting point was at the establishment’s old farmhouse. Another group of clients came with us to Esteros y Algarrobales del Río Uruguay (the estuaries and carob trees found at the Uruguay River), to visit the first protected area from the National System of Protected Areas (NSPA) to be

managed by a private company. As part of the visit, they walked the different trails and got to see the main flora and fauna species common to the area. We drew the year to a close at the Viraroes Establishment, located in Río Negro, with a group of Associate Producers who came to the town hoping to learn from historian Ricardo Sienra the history behind the livestock stone corridors. Throughout 2022, some 350 Associate Producers joined us during our different outreach days, which motivates us to continue down this road of opening our doors to share our heritage with them.

with producers interested in learning about our work in genetic improvement. The UPM Forestal Oriental Research & Development team was in charge of explaining the work we have been carrying out for over 30 years, in addition to providing a guided tour of the facilities and plantations. In October we received another group of Associate Producers at the Arteaga Establishment, located in the department of Florida, to learn about the history of the place. The tour through the characteristic farmhouse and shearing shed was led by historian Mario Correa, who detailed behind the scenes of every corner of the establishment.

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UPM ANNUAL REPORT 2022