Life is constantly developing in our plantation fields. We are not only talking about the rising MWL forests, where the tallest trees now reach 20 meters in some places. Amongst the trees ecosystems are steadily forming: insects, birds, reptiles and other small creatures are moving in to inhabit the plantations.
Trees contribute to retain the rainwater. This is primarily because the trees prevent erosion, but also because trees offer shade, which also prevents evaporation of water. Some of the rain is also absorbed directly through the leafs. The trees also help with evaporation so that it gets more humid. These dynamics are called water household, and are present in all the areas where we plant trees. Equally important is the carbon dioxide-absorbing capabilities of the millions of trees that we have planted. These ongoing processes in the plant fields will continue and increase in extent, and are, as we all know, fundamental mechanisms to ensure a sustainable future on earth.
It is also worth mentioning that our plantations will supply these mechanisms even when the forests are ready to be harvested. Our strategy can be illustrated with a chessboard, where each square is a parcel. When we harvest one parcel, the nearby parcels will remain untouched for years before the cycle starts again. Some parcels will never be harvested, but be included as a permanent part of the local nature. With this sustainable harvesting strategy, the forest - an all it brings along with it - is here to stay.
