Chile's Exotic Plantations: A Century of Deforestation and the Birth of a Sector

Chile's exotic plantations have long been criticized for their environmental impact, but a recent opinion column argues that they are not inherently bad and may even be an opportunity for the country.

The column points out that deforestation in Chile began over a century ago, with fires burning for years to clear land for agriculture and timber. By the mid-20th century, native forests had been cleared on a massive scale, leaving behind erosive scars on steep slopes.

Claudio Gay warned minister Diego Portales about this trend as early as 1836, recommending the importation of fast-growing European species to replace the vanished native forest. This approach was later adopted by governments of different stripes, with the Law of Forests enacted under President Carlos Ibáñez del Campo enabling mass plantations against desertification in south-central Chile.

The column cites studies showing that wheat exports rose twenty-seven-fold between 1845 and 1887, while cattle numbers tripled between 1880 and 1930. Pinus radiata from California and Eucalyptus globulus from Australia were introduced to address these issues, with Federico Albert using eucalyptus to halt the advancing dunes at Chanco.