Forest Planning and Timber Production
The REMASA Forest Management Unit (FMU) covers approximately 38,000 hectares across several forest properties in six municipalities, as shown in the table below.
Long-Term Planning
Remasa uses forest inventory and production planning as its main tools to project timber production over a minimum 30-year horizon, supporting multiple products and sustainably maximizing results.
Short-Term Planning
Operational planning covers the management of areas scheduled for harvesting over the next 12 months, road maintenance for transportation, machinery selection and the volume of timber to be harvested at each property.
Forest inventory provides the quantitative and qualitative stand data that underpin strategic planning. It is carried out annually in all pine plantings more than 5 years old.
We Manage 47 Forest Properties Across Paraná and Santa Catarina
Remasa operates independently, managing 47 forest properties in Paraná and Santa Catarina, with capacity to produce 50,000 metric tons of logs per month.
Our activities are built on development through responsible forest management, with a focus on employee health and safety, reducing environmental impacts, complying with environmental laws and maintaining the business’s economic viability.
Most of Remasa’s production and harvesting areas are FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council®) certified under certificate SCS-FM/COC-00132P and license code FSC-C102407, and comply with the organization’s strict criteria.
Seedling Production
Our tree nursery covers 8,500 m² and produces approximately 1.5 million seedlings per year, mainly Pinus taeda and, to a lesser extent, Pinus patula.
The nursery’s main technical advantages are easy access, abundant sunlight and sufficient mineral water of suitable quality to meet demand throughout the year.
Pine seedlings are grown in 55 cm³ seedling containers using genetic material with good growth and proven adaptation to the region. Seedlings selected for planting meet strict quality standards: at least 20 cm tall, a root collar diameter of 2.5 mm, straight stems and no pests or diseases. We use a high-quality growing medium and fertigation during growth to prevent nutrient deficiencies, along with pest and disease control throughout the production cycle.
In 2021, investment in the nursery included a 726 m² greenhouse to improve germination and accelerate early seedling growth, as well as replacement of all irrigation pipes and equipment. In 2023, a new shed and materials storage facility were built and a frost-protection system was installed for the seedlings.
The nursery also hosts research and development projects to improve operating procedures and test new products. Pine is also cloned through grafting to support tree breeding programs.
Silvicultural Practices and Forest Management
To maximize production and add market value to the final product, we use silvicultural best practices, beginning with appropriate site preparation and sustainable minimum-tillage practices. Planting is carried out by hand with predetermined, georeferenced spacing.
Competing vegetation is controlled through manual cutting, semi-mechanized cutting with brushcutters and herbicide application. Integrated pest management is intensified during the forest’s first three years. Pruning is performed in selected areas from the second through the fifth year.
To produce high-quality timber, Remasa uses modern forest management practices that include up to two thinnings during the production cycle, with systematic and selective tree selection to produce higher-quality logs for the market’s most demanding requirements.
Timber Harvesting
Timber harvesting aims to make the most of resources through safe practices that minimize negative impacts and encourage positive ones. Remasa prioritizes techniques and equipment suited to local conditions and rigorously tested, approved machinery to increase mechanization. The harvesting system is designed to cover the entire production chain, from felling to transportation to industrial customers.
On steeper terrain with gradients above 28%, harvesting takes two forms. The first is semi-mechanized: trees are felled with chainsaws, timber is extracted using a winch and steel cable, and processing is carried out with a harvester head. The second uses a steel cable and a dedicated anchoring tractor to assist the harvester and forwarder as they travel up and down the slope.
The cut-to-length (CTL) system is used for both thinning and clearcut harvesting. Trees are felled and processed at the stump, and the logs are then forwarded to roadside and forest access roads. This system allows efficient movement over short distances with limited environmental disturbance, particularly to soil. Felling, delimbing and bucking are performed by a harvester equipped with a processing head. A forwarder then carries the logs to the roadside for loading. This process reflects our commitment to balancing timber production with environmental preservation.
Logs are sorted to customer specifications into up to five diameter classes.
Forest Roads
Remasa has operating procedures for road construction and maintenance to ensure the correct use of technical guidance and equipment and to minimize environmental impacts.
Main roads are surfaced with gravel and equipped with drainage, using roadside retention structures, water outlets and ditch turnouts that direct water into the forest stand.
This work supports efficient timber transportation while minimizing sedimentation and improving productivity and efficiency.
Monitoring
To protect its native and planted forests, Remasa monitors the fire danger index daily and maintains a trained firefighting brigade. Observation towers have high-resolution cameras with a line-of-sight range of up to 35 km. Support equipment includes fire trucks, tractor-towed firefighting tanks and portable wildland firefighting kits.
Pest and disease control is also essential to sound forest management. To improve performance, we monitor pests such as the woodwasp, a major pest of pine.
