4.1.3. The acacia plantations

In contrast with the natural rainforest ecosystems, the plantations such as the ones used by APRIL are monocultures of fast-growing, imported wood types which are fields of trees rather than forests. Unlike sustainable, selectively logged forests for example, the tree plantations can support only a fraction of the indigenous species.

Two acacia-species foreign to Sumatra have mainly been used in the plantations. Acacia magnium is the most commonly-planted type with A. crassicarpa planted in especially moist areas. According to APRIL, a fifth of its concession areas will be turned into monoculture plantations of indigenous species.

Once the natural forests have been clear cut and anything suitable for turning into pulp has been removed, the acacia seedlings that have been bred in the companies' nurseries are planted in rows that are 3 metres apart. In three years, the seedlings have reached a height of approximately 15 metres and have a diameter of around 15 cm. In the ideal case, the trees are felled after 7 years, by which time they should have reached a height of 25 m with an annual timber yield of 30 m3/a, and new seedlings are planted. The fast growth is made possible by the large-scale use of fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides (SGS 1998).