



Almost a third of the island, if we ignore the water surface, is made up of forests, and it is the will of the Government and the State to maintain a harmonious cycle in the different ecosystems that make up our archipelago.

While the world is still suffering the ravages of the fires in the Amazon, sadly marked by the indolence of the powerful who could have avoided or should have helped to repair the damage, our country is perfecting and diversifying its forest cover in order to guarantee the prevalence of Cuba’s forest heritage. Almost a third of the island, if we ignore the aquifer surface, is made up of forests, and it is the will of the Government and the State to maintain a harmonious cycle in the different ecosystems that make up our archipelago.

In order to do this, the entities responsible for safeguarding the green zones of the national territory are tasked with evaluating and optimizing actions around the area of the country’s forests, with a view to their conservation and sustainable use. According to Antonio Guzmán Torres, head of the Forestry Department of the Ministry of Agriculture (Minag), this balance has allowed more than 22,000 hectares to be incorporated into the forest cover last year, which means a growth of 0.26 percentage points in the country’s forest index, currently reaching 31.49% and maintaining the growing trend in this indicator.

In addition, other achievements of the strategy carried out by the country up until June 2019 are:

Promotion of new forest areas in 26 165.8 hectares by methods of planting and management of natural regeneration. Of these, 69% are for conservation and protection purposes (18 166.8 hectares), which include 804.2 hectares of planting in coastal areas and 1 478.3 in the water regulating strips of water bodies in the country.

Improvement of the structure, density and composition of forests in 8,231.7 hectares of degraded forests, through the method of reconstruction and/or enrichment.

Sanitation and improvement of the productive and ecosystemic capacity in 83 482.4 hectares of forests, by means of pruning, cleaning, thinning, sanitary felling and salvage cuts.

Construction and maintenance of 41,778.1 kilometers, based on forest fire protection measures.

One of the projections that stand out in Minag’s agenda regarding the forest cover of the Island is to channel forestry to the specific needs of the different territories, as well as to the demands of the industry. In this sense, the concept of massive reforestation that has prevailed until now in Cuba will be replaced by a more efficient organization of actions based on needs.

Special attention is also paid to the modernization of forestry techniques, which, together with the application of science and technology, makes it possible to increase productivity, quality, efficiency and success, among other guarantees.

Working with forest seeds is essential for this purpose, so that sources of production are gradually and continuously improved, taking into account the genetic improvement of strategic species. This will make it possible to adjust what is being done according to current management needs, and to attend to the singularities of each space, which demands the planting of certain specimens.

In this way it is possible to develop the production of forest goods through intensive forestry and, at the same time, harmonize the use of forest species taking into account the objectives of wood use.

Another priority is the use of native and endangered species in appropriate proportion to other varieties.

Asked about the treatment of forested areas that are exploited in mining, the Chief of the Forest Department of Minag said that the mining companies, with their respective reforestation brigades, are responsible for repopulating the exploited area within a maximum of two years. The reforestation in these places has as particularity the addition of soil enriched with organic matter, because after the mining exploitation it is necessary to enrich the surface to carry out the replanting.

THE VORACITY OF FIRE

According to Antonio Guzmán, these events increase in occurrence due to the combination of climatic and meteorological conditions that favour them, such as intense periods of drought, high temperatures, low relative humidity and strong winds; however, in 90% of cases it is man who triggers the disaster.

The Head of the Forestry Department of the Ministry of Agriculture also explains that another aspect to take into account is the inflammable material (i.e. weeds, dry grasses or grasses) found in the lower part of wooded areas (undergrowth), as the rate in tons per hectare depends considerably on the speed of propagation and extent of the fire. To reduce this indicator, controlled burns are carried out in Cuba.

The lack of a ministerial disclosure plan to improve the coordination of efforts among the institutions that are part of the National Forest Fire Protection System is one of the main challenges for those who defend Cuba’s forest heritage.

In response to this vulnerability, and to increase the population’s perception of risk in general, Minag, together with the Forest Ranger Corps, designed a communication campaign, presented in 2017, to prevent this type of disaster by making people aware of the need to protect Cuban flora and fauna from the relentless destructive capacity of fire.

IN FIGURES

From 3 000 to 4 000 hectares of heritage are affected annually by the occurrence of fires.

3,000 hectares are cut down each year, including those related to the exploitation of mining areas in the country.

16,000 hectares are replenished through reforestation of heritage.