forest Archives - Sugarcane Industry

25 May, 202325 May, 2023

Guatemalan Sugar Cane Agroindustry will reforest with more than 955,000 trees in 2023

The Guatemalan Sugar Association and the Private Institute for Climate Change Research -ICC- presented the 2023 Reforestation Plan, which this year consists of planting more than 955,000 trees in 11 departments of the country that will cover around 860 hectares of land, a space that is equivalent to about 1,229 soccer fields.

With the first reforestation day, of the season, the 2023 Reforestation Plan began. The activity, in which 500 trees were planted, took place at the Limones farm at the outskirts of the town Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa; located at 90 kilometers (56 miles) at the south of Guatemala city.

The event included the participation of Alfredo Vila, president of the Association of Sugar Producers of Guatemala -Asazgua-; Dr. Alex Guerra, Director of the Private Institute for Climate Change Research -ICC-; Ing. Rony Granados, Manager of the National Institute of Forests -INAB-; as well as collaborators of the sugar mills and journalists from the media.

“With this year’s reforestation plan, 8.8 million trees will be planted since 2011, in strategic areas for the recovery and conservation of basins that influence the South of Guatemala. This as part of the commitment of the Sugarcane Agroindustry to sustainability and the care of natural resources,” said Alfredo Vila, president of Asazgua.

Reforestation will take place in 11 departments of the country: Escuintla, Chimaltenango, Retalhuleu, Suchitepéquez, Sacatepéquez, Santa Rosa, Jalapa, Quetzaltenango, Sololá, Jutiapa and San Marcos.

“In 2011 Asazgua, ICC and local partners started a program for the conservation and recovery of forests in strategic areas to contribute to the protection of riverbanks, water recharge zones and biological corridors. Around 7,000 hectares have been reforested, to which 860 will be added this year. By the end of 2023, the equivalent of 11,000 soccer fields will have been reforested,” said Alex Guerra, Director of the ICC.

Since the beginning of the program in 2011, 55 native species have been reforested, among them: matilisguate, aripín, cenícero, madre cacao, conacaste, cedar, mahogany, palo blanco, volador, plumillo, hormigo, caulote, among others.

ICC technical support

The ICC provides support and technical and scientific advice and is the link with communities, organizations, municipal and regional authorities, for the installation of nurseries and identification of reforestation areas. The 955,000 plants that will be planted this year were produced in 67 nurseries installed in different locations. In addition, this program has the support of the National Institute of Forests -INAB-.

In addition to this effort, the sugar mills have individual reforestation programs and their own natural forests, through which they total 14,800 hectares, equivalent to 21,144 soccer fields.

These efforts and those that are planned, contribute to the management of the Guatemalan Pacific basins since forest resources are vital to maintain the water cycle, protect the soil, maintain the diversity of flora and fauna, among other benefits.

Reforestation is also part of the contributions of the Sugarcane Agroindustry to the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations Organization, especially goal 15: “Life of Terrestrial Ecosystems”, which aims to manage forests of sustainable manner and objective 13 “Climate Action” which implies actions to combat the effects of climate change.

3 June, 20224 June, 2022

The Guatemalan Sugar Industry will reach in 2022 more than 7.7 million trees reforested

The Guatemalan Sugar will reforest 900 thousend trees in 2022

The Guatemalan Sugar Industry together with the Private Institute for Climate Change Research -ICC- and local partners carried out the program for the recovery and conservation of forests for the eleventh consecutive year, with the planting of 900,000 trees in 400 hectares of land with species such as: cedar, mahogany, Ear Pod Tree, Picconia excelsa, pine, cypress, cocoa, among others.

“With this year’s reforestation plan, the Guatemalan Sugar Industry will have contributed to the planting of 7.7 million trees since the beginning of the Program in 2011. As part of our commitment to the environment, during these 11 years we have joined efforts with communities, local authorities, and organizations, for the conservation and recovery of forests on riverbanks and upper parts of basins”, commented Alfredo Vila, President of the Association of Sugar Producers of Guatemala -Asazgua-.

The Reforestation Plan began with the planting of 300 trees on a farm Called Belem, jurisdiction of Masagua, Escuintla, located at 370 kilometers (230 miles) in the south of Guatemala City. With this activity, the reforestation season officially begins, and will last until August.

It will be carried out in 10 departments of the country: Santa Rosa, Chimaltenango, Escuintla, Suchitepéquez, Retalhuleu, Jalapa, Sololá, Sacatepéquez, Jutiapa and Quetzaltenango.

The production of the trees was in more than 50 nurseries installed in 30 municipalities in 10 departments of the country, “these nurseries are municipal, regional, business owned and community owned,” explained Dr. Alex Guerra, director of the ICC. “The ICC provides seeds, supplies and technical advice in conjunction with INAB,” he added. These is with the financing provided by the Guatemalan Sugar Industry.

More than 310 hectares of land have been reforested by the Guatemalan Sugar Industry initiative on the banks of the rivers on the South of Guatemala alone, equivalent to more than 430 soccer fields, creating gallery forests and biological corridor.

These forests on the banks of rivers help water recharge, soil conservation by preventing erosion and are also natural barriers that prevent flooding and are also home to species of plants and animals.

5 April, 20225 April, 2022

Hydrometric station measures the flow of river in Guatemala

The Ocosito River has the first hydrometric station in the basin.

The Guatemalan Sugar Industry is committed to the care and conservation of the environment, and is part of the Ocosito river Basin Technical Committee, and gave support to the installation of a Hydrometric Station to measure the flow of the Ocosito River.

The Technical Committee took a tour to verify progress in flow measurement, user coordination, and reforestation. The Guatemalan Sugar Industry is member of these committee since 2016.

The Ocosito River has the first hydrometric station in the basin. This is a device with sensors that automatically records the flow of the river, which allows knowing if the flow is low or very high, allowing communities in the lower part to be alerted to the risk of flooding.

Technical Committee promotes conservation of the Ocosito river basin

The members of the Ocosito Technical Committee; included the Guatemalan Sugar Industry have promoted a program for the restoration and conservation of the basin through reforestation for the creation of gallery forests, among other modalities, which contribute to forest restoration. Since 2016, communities, local organizations, companies such as El Pilar, Magdalena, and Palo Gordo sugar mills Agroaceites, Grupo Hame, that have planted more than 102 hectares with native trees to create gallery forests on the riverbanks, mangrove restoration and productive forests, with the support of the National Institute of Forests -INAB-, Rainforest Alliance and the Private Institute for Research on Climate Change -ICC-.

Through the Technical Committee, the coordination of water users has been achieved, something that historically had not existed and that has made it possible to optimize the use of water in production processes and coordinate with communities. Currently, with the support of the United Nations Development Program -UNDP- and MARN, a management plan for this basin is being developed.

These actions have allowed great advances in water management, which are reflected in the fact that the Ocosito River has achieved its flow to its mouth during the last 5 years, improving conditions with a more rational use.

The technical committee was born in 2016 out of the need to organize and make rational use of water. In 2021, promoted by the Vice Ministry of Water, through Government Agreement 19-2021, it was institutionalized as a more comprehensive technical organization for the recovery and conservation of the Ocosito basin.

The conservation of the basin faces several challenges, such as:

The contamination of the hydric resource; for example, the garbage in the rivers.
Climate change
Plans for the proper management and conservation of water and other natural resources
Work with a comprehensive approach to the conservation of the basin.

Water management is a challenge for Guatemala and for humanity, which requires the integration of the sectors that are part of society.

3 March, 202224 March, 2022

Did you know that 248 species of birds live in forests of the Guatemalan Sugar Industry?

Bird seeing in forest within cane fields in Guatemala

The Private Institute for Climate Change Research -ICC- has conducted studies that count 248 distinct species of birds that inhabit forests within the cane fields of the South of Guatemala, area where the sugarcane grows. Those forests along with the roads, forests, rivers, plants, and animal life are called the “agro landscape.”

In addition, ICC researchers have identified 78 species of migratory birds, which find refuge in the agricultural landscape of sugar cane. These species travel each year from the northern hemisphere of the continent to the south.

Migratory birds travel between September and November of each year and return to North America between March and May. When they pass through Guatemala, the wooded areas of the cane fields provide them with food and shelter, thus they manage to accumulate energy to fly and continue their journey.

Plants and animal life of the Sugar Industry forests

In addition to birds, in the agro landscapes of the Guatemalan Sugar Industry, inhabit 17 families of reptiles and amphibians have also been recorded in these ecosystems; They live on land and water. Likewise, 219 species of trees have been identified, which provide food and shelter to the animal life of the South of Guatemala.

This agro landscape, and the scientific evidence compiled by experts, reaffirms the commitment of the Guatemalan Sugar Industry to be sustainable with the environment and preserve the biological diversity of the South of Guatemala.

As an example, the Guatemalan Sugar Industry carries out every year a reforestation program. The Sugar Mills have 2,507 hectares of natural forests, which are protected and cared for. These forests are part of the agricultural landscape of the South of Guatemala and benefit the conservation of biological diversity.

19 May, 20212 June, 2021

The Guatemalan Sugar Industry supports forest nurseries for reforestation

The Guatemalan Sugar Industry has formulated and implemented a strategy for reforestation on the South of the country. Since 2011, with the support of the Private Institute for Climate Change Research -ICC-, it has established forest nurseries as the basis of the Reforestation Plan that began on Saturday 22nd in commemoration of Arbor Day in Guatemala.

From 2011 to 2020, a total of 5.9 million trees have been produced in 88 nurseries located in 10 departments of the country.

In the nurseries, 29 species of trees are grown such as cedar, mahogany, eucalyptus, pine, cypress, among others.

Nurseries to support reforestation are municipal, regional / institutional, business and community. In the latter, the settlers provide the place, the labor for all the work of the nursery, the land; and the ICC supports with seeds and inputs necessary for the cultivation, as well as technical advice in conjunction with the National Institute of Forests -INAB-.

The importance of community nurseries is that forest culture is promoted, which helps to conserve natural forests close to the communities.

27 January, 202127 January, 2021

The Guatemalan Sugar Industry has planted 5.9 million trees to recover forests

Guatemalan Sugar Industry Reforestation Program

The Guatemalan Sugar Industry has planted 5.9 million trees from 2011 to date, as part of their reforestation plan in areas such as riverbanks and the upper part of the hydrographic basins, to improve the river’s water recharge capacity, and to transform the areas into biological corridors and also to contribute to the recovery and conservation of flora and fauna.

The Reforestation Program, implemented by the Sugar Mills through the Private Institute for Climate Change Research -ICC-, has among its priorities the recovery and conservation of the hydrographic basins of the rivers that flow into the Pacific Ocean, in the face of climate change.

The program, in addition to recovering wetlands, water sources and riverbanks, has a factor of community involvement and support, since all the trees come from over a hundred local nurseries managed by the communities.

In 2020 the Guatemalan Sugar Industry planted more than 818,000 trees, and in each region, native species are planted for conservation, energy and timber purposes, among them the species, Matilisguate, Puntero, Volador, Cedar, Mahogany, Palo Blanco, Mother Cacao and Plumillo.

The forest coverage study of the National Institute of Forests (INAB, 2019) reveals that between 2010 and 2016 forest coverage increased in the departments of the south of Guatemala in 37,857 hectares, equivalent to more than 25,800 soccer fields.