Taiwan's forest area accounts for 60%, yet its timber self-sufficiency rate is only 1%. Approximately 4.4 million cubic meters of timber are imported annually, increasing our carbon footprint and potentially contributing to illegal logging in other countries. The Forestry Bureau has been actively promoting local forestry and "domestic timber" in recent years, aiming to increase timber self-sufficiency to 5% by 2027. However, even with a domestic timber traceability system in place, many consumers remain concerned about whether forestry will truly harm soil and water conservation and impact the ecological environment.
A reporter from the Environmental Information Center visited the Yongtai Forest Farm in Hsinchu and saw how this privately-owned forest farm, which has been operating for more than half a century, repeatedly plants and cuts trees, allowing the forest ecosystem to continuously regenerate and practice sustainable forestry that reduces carbon emissions.
Nestled in the 1,200-meter-high mountains of Wufeng Township, Hsinchu, I stepped into a lush forest. Before me, a grove of Japanese cedar trees rose from the ground, each towering straight into the sky. Sunlight filtered through the branches, casting variegated shadows that swayed gracefully in the wind. I could smell the damp, cold scent of moss on the trunks. Listening closely, I heard the "saw-saw-saw" sound of sawing wood not far away, as trees fell one after another...
Wait! Don't rush to call the police yet. This isn't just some rogue tree-dweller stealing trees. Yongtai Forestry is engaged in clearcutting. In this over 20-year-old plantation, the trees being felled were planted over 30 years ago.
Witnessing the rise and fall of the forestry industry, Liang Zhaoqing, Chairman of Yongtai Forestry, is committed to planting trees for the next generation.
In 1991, the government announced a "total ban on logging of natural forests" policy, imposing total controls on annual forestry production. Many forestry companies closed down or relocated abroad, causing the domestic forestry industry to stagnate and decline. The market began to shift to import-based timber products, which reinforced the impression among many people that all local timber was illegally logged and that Taiwan had no forestry industry.
After the ban on logging of natural forests was implemented, a few artificial forest farms still managed to operate, leaving a glimmer of livelihood for the local forestry industry.
The Hsinchu Yongtai Forestry Production Cooperative is one of the few private forestry farms that have survived in Taiwan. In the early years, it planted Chinese fir and Japanese cedar. In recent years, in response to the Forestry Bureau's policy, it switched to planting Taiwan fir.
The chairman of the cooperative is 77-year-old Liang Zhaoqing. He has been engaged in forestry work since the 1970s and founded the Zhengchang Timber Factory at the age of 29. Feeling the preciousness of forestry resources and worried about the shortage of upstream raw materials, he bought Yongtai. From wood processing to afforestation, he has gone through more than half a century and witnessed the rise and fall of Taiwan's forestry industry with his life's career.
Planting more than cutting: 125 hectares is cut down by 4 hectares per year; it takes 30 years to plant trees and form a forest.
Afforestation is not easy. First, about 3,000 trees must be planted per hectare. The first five years require annual mowing[1] to ensure that the seedlings can grow smoothly. In the sixth year, pruning begins to ensure that the trees are straight and beautiful. After the tenth year, thinning is carried out, in which some trees are cut down to leave space for the better trees to continue growing. The thinning rate is about 30% to 50%, and only 1,000 to 1,500 trees will be left per hectare for harvest.
"Clear felling" is only carried out after 30 years of planting. The felled trees need to be left in place for a period of time to "drain water". After being cut and collected, they are transported to the Zhengchang Timber Factory at the foot of the mountain to be processed into various wood raw materials and turned into building materials, tables, chairs, furniture and other wooden products in every household.
The seventh forest block leased by Yongtai Forest Farm covers a total of 125 hectares, of which only 4 hectares are clear-cut each year. New saplings are then planted on the clear-cut forest land and nurtured for up to 30 years, repeating the cycle of planting and felling trees.
Source: Environmental Information Center (https://e-info.org.tw/node/233294)
