Conversion efficiency and opportunities for waste reduction in the log processing industries of eastern Pará State, Amazônia.

GERWING, J. J.; UHL, C. Conversion efficiency and opportunities for waste reduction in the log processing industries of eastern Pará state, Amazonia. Journal of Tropical Forest Products, v. 3, n. 1, p. 70-80, 1997.

Introduction

During the past 20 years. Amazonia has become Brazil’s major lumber producing region (Verissimo et al 1992). Much of the growth has occurred in the Amazonian state of Pará. For example, in the eastern part of the state, in the vicinity of Paragominas, the number of veneer and sawmills leapt from 2 mills with a total lumber production of 8600 m³ in 1970 to 238 mills with a total output of more than 1.2 million m³ in 1990 (Verissimo et al. 1992). Lumber production of this magnitude consumes a substantial suppiv of logs from the forests. If the wood industry is to continue to play an important role in the region’s economy, regional forested lands must be managed to provide a reliable source of timber in the future (Barreto et al. 1993).

Management of forest resources does not. however, end at the forest boundary. The efficiency with which logs are converted into finished products can significantly affect the area of forest needed to satisfy lumber demands. In a demonstration sawmill in central Amazonia. conversion of up to 60% was achieved for some Amazonian timber species (SUDAM 1981). However, estimates of conversion in eastern Pará, based on interviews with mill owners. were about 40 Uhl et al. 1991, Verissimo et al. 19921. The difference berween these estimates of actual and potential conversion suggests opportunities exist to reduce the waste associated with processing. This study examines the factors that influence the conversion of the wood processing industries in the Paragominas region of eastern Amazonia.