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Updated Thursday, August 21, 2008 0:00 am TWN, By Steven Crook, Special to The China Post



	A maintenance track between two afforestation plots. The one on the left is clearly more mature than the one on the right. (By Steven Crook, Special to The China Post) Enlarge Photo

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Taiwan’s newest forests

This land belongs to the Taiwan Sugar Corp. (TSC), and according to information boards, the trees – which include Formosan Ash, Autumn Maple, Indian Beech and Indian Almond – were planted in 2004. Most are already two or three meters tall.

At least two of these species have uses beyond carbon sequestration and wood production. The Indian Beech has bio-fuel potential – the seed oil has been found to work well in diesel generators. The leaves and bark of the Indian Almond are sometimes used in traditional medicines, the former being a treatment for liver disease.

TSC has been involved in afforestation for nearly a decade. According to a company document posted on the Internet, between 2002 and 2007, TSC set aside 7,960 hectares of land for tree planting, including more than 2,300 hectares in Pingtung County (屏東縣) and approximately 2,000 hectares in Hualien County (花蓮縣).

Landowners who sign afforestation contracts with the Taiwan Forestry Bureau (TFB) are provided with seedlings, but have to supply their own fertilizer and labor. TSC, like many landowners, uses a cultivation technique, which is not, at first glance, environmentally ideal. On its land near Sinhua, large sheets of plastic have been spread over the ground to keep weeds from crowding out seedlings. This method is also popular with pineapple and watermelon farmers. Oftentimes the plastic is neither recycled nor biodegradable.

On its own land, the TFB does not use plastic sheeting, nor does it spray pesticides. Instead, grasses and weeds are mown and left on the ground as mulch. Unfortunately, this method is both labor- and energy-intensive. Also, trimmers burn fossil fuels like kerosene, and so produce CO2 and other pollutants.

Plastic traps and retains moisture. During southern Taiwan’s dry winters, this should speed growth of the trees and protects topsoil from erosion. Sheeting, therefore, may well be the “least bad” option.

The photos that accompany this article were taken on TSC Sinhua Farm Plots No. 23, 24 and 33 (新化農場區號23, 24及33). Look around near your hometown and you may well find similar reforestation projects. Also, keep an eye on the TV: In recent months, the TFB has been promoting its lowland forestry work in ads. Look out for the characters(平地造林).

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