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Regulations to Promote Forestry Activity

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Newspaper editorialLa Tribuna

Recent estimates indicate that forestry activity generates around 77 thousand jobs in the Biobío region. A figure that—on its own—reflects the importance of this productive sector in the economic and social life of the region. In this context, the interventions made by authorities and private sector representatives at the "Impulsa" meeting, organized by the Biobío Chamber of Production and Commerce and held this week in Concepción, take on special relevance.

On this occasion, the complex situation facing the sector was highlighted—with around one million unplanted hectares nationwide and over 100 thousand affected by land invasions or restricted access—a reality that severely impacts the entire production chain, but especially small producers who often combine this activity with agricultural work.

For this reason, the proposal led by the Biobío regional governor, Rodrigo Díaz, makes a lot of sense. He urged the central government to swiftly advance a forestry promotion law focused on small farmers in the southern zone. "The housing minister is committed to industrial wood construction. If we don’t have a forestry promotion law, no pine trees will be planted, and if there are no pine trees, there will be no construction with Chilean wood," argued Díaz.

From the private sector, meanwhile, the president of Empresas CMPC, Luis Felipe Gazitúa, reinforced this request, emphasizing that "small and medium-sized forestry producers who lack industries have no incentive to plant and also face the risk of land invasions, theft, or fires. That’s why we agree with the governor that there should be a subsidy for small and medium-sized farmers or forestry industries."

The Biobío region, whether due to poor legislative decisions or unavoidable external conditions, has seen its economic strength significantly weakened. Examples of this include what happened with the jumbo squid industry or, more recently, the announcement of the shutdown of operations at the steel company Huachipato.

Given this complex scenario, as well as the fact that forestry activity operates based on long-term decisions, it is crucial to understand the urgency of this request. Setting aside prejudices and positions unsupported by reality, decisive progress must be made on regulations that would help reverse a worrying economic moment—with inevitable social consequences and, above all, a negative impact on the quality of life for the region’s inhabitants.