327
and specialized labor. Cedars continue to be among the highest value species in the
forest market products.
According to the official forest statistics corresponding to 2016, the timber formal trade from Yungas Rainforest amounts to around 52,000 m
3
per year, with Salta
Province contributing 90% (MAyDS 2018). However, a parallel trade from illegal
logging, of equal or greater magnitude than formal trade, increases considerably the
extracted volume. In fact, the illegal use of forests is a historical practice and, in a
sense, commonly accepted by the local society. This has led to the development of
a much-uncontrolled informal economy, which is claimed as the main cause of degradation of the Yungas (https://www.argentina.gob.ar/ambiente/sustentabilidad/
planes-sectoriales/bosques).
The official statistics point out that the main species exploited in 2016 were
Anadenanthera colubrina var. cebil (10,230 m
3
/year), Phyllostylon rhamnoides
(5200 m
3
/year), Handroanthus impetiginosus (4850 m
3
/year), cedars (2800 m
3
/
year), Calycophyllum multiflorum (2250 m
3
/year), Myroxylon peruiferum (800 m
3
/
year), and Chlorophora tinctoria (730 m
3
/year). On a smaller scale (<200 m
3
/year
per species), Cordia trichotoma, Juglans australis, Tipuana tipu, and Enterolobium
contortisiliquum can be mentioned (MAyDS 2018).
Domestic market of wood from the native forest depends mainly on supply and
demand. The price of the highest valuable wood ranges from US$ 200 to 480/m
3
,
such as Handroanthus impetiginosus (US$ 330–480/m
3
), Cedrela angustifolia (US$
300–400/m
3
), Cedrela balansae, and Cordia trichotoma (US$ 200–300/m
3
). Timber
of lower value but greater abundance such as Anadenanthera colubrina var. cebil
and Tipuana tipu have a commercial value between US$ 130 and 200/m
3
. In the
international market the main timber sold are Spanish cedar (Cedrela spp.) and Ipé
(Handrohanthus impetiginosus), from Peru and Brazil mainly, with values that triple the price of the domestic market.
1
According to the latest Argentinean forest plantations inventory (2019), the provinces of Tucumán, Salta, and Jujuy (NWA) represent only 2% (25,000 ha) of the
national planted area, which mainly includes species grown for industrial purposes
such as pines, eucalypts, poplars, and willows. However, the “others” category
includes native cultivated species, in which Cedrela and Prosopis genus are the
most planted in the NWA, representing 15% of the native forest tree species cultivated in Argentina, thus marking a regional trend.
2
Currently, the NWA has about 900 ha of Cedrela spp. cultivated in commercial
plantations. The plantations’ features change based on the species, the site, the cultivation system, and the age; different modalities were found with Cedrela species:
clump plantation and trails enrichment with one, two, or three strips (Fornes
et al. 2016).
1 Newsletter #21: Forest Industry of Northwest Argentina, Nov. 2018.
2 https://datos.agroindustria.gob.ar/dataset/inventario-nacional-plantaciones-forestales-por-superficie/archivo/147acbc6-2048-4d2b-9cd7-df13efe328fa
12 Subtropical Rainforests: The Yungas and the Alto Paraná Rainforest
and specialized labor. Cedars continue to be among the highest value species in the
forest market products.
According to the official forest statistics corresponding to 2016, the timber formal trade from Yungas Rainforest amounts to around 52,000 m
3
per year, with Salta
Province contributing 90% (MAyDS 2018). However, a parallel trade from illegal
logging, of equal or greater magnitude than formal trade, increases considerably the
extracted volume. In fact, the illegal use of forests is a historical practice and, in a
sense, commonly accepted by the local society. This has led to the development of
a much-uncontrolled informal economy, which is claimed as the main cause of degradation of the Yungas (https://www.argentina.gob.ar/ambiente/sustentabilidad/
planes-sectoriales/bosques).
The official statistics point out that the main species exploited in 2016 were
Anadenanthera colubrina var. cebil (10,230 m
3
/year), Phyllostylon rhamnoides
(5200 m
3
/year), Handroanthus impetiginosus (4850 m
3
/year), cedars (2800 m
3
/
year), Calycophyllum multiflorum (2250 m
3
/year), Myroxylon peruiferum (800 m
3
/
year), and Chlorophora tinctoria (730 m
3
/year). On a smaller scale (<200 m
3
/year
per species), Cordia trichotoma, Juglans australis, Tipuana tipu, and Enterolobium
contortisiliquum can be mentioned (MAyDS 2018).
Domestic market of wood from the native forest depends mainly on supply and
demand. The price of the highest valuable wood ranges from US$ 200 to 480/m
3
,
such as Handroanthus impetiginosus (US$ 330–480/m
3
), Cedrela angustifolia (US$
300–400/m
3
), Cedrela balansae, and Cordia trichotoma (US$ 200–300/m
3
). Timber
of lower value but greater abundance such as Anadenanthera colubrina var. cebil
and Tipuana tipu have a commercial value between US$ 130 and 200/m
3
. In the
international market the main timber sold are Spanish cedar (Cedrela spp.) and Ipé
(Handrohanthus impetiginosus), from Peru and Brazil mainly, with values that triple the price of the domestic market.
1
According to the latest Argentinean forest plantations inventory (2019), the provinces of Tucumán, Salta, and Jujuy (NWA) represent only 2% (25,000 ha) of the
national planted area, which mainly includes species grown for industrial purposes
such as pines, eucalypts, poplars, and willows. However, the “others” category
includes native cultivated species, in which Cedrela and Prosopis genus are the
most planted in the NWA, representing 15% of the native forest tree species cultivated in Argentina, thus marking a regional trend.
2
Currently, the NWA has about 900 ha of Cedrela spp. cultivated in commercial
plantations. The plantations’ features change based on the species, the site, the cultivation system, and the age; different modalities were found with Cedrela species:
clump plantation and trails enrichment with one, two, or three strips (Fornes
et al. 2016).
1 Newsletter #21: Forest Industry of Northwest Argentina, Nov. 2018.
2 https://datos.agroindustria.gob.ar/dataset/inventario-nacional-plantaciones-forestales-por-superficie/archivo/147acbc6-2048-4d2b-9cd7-df13efe328fa
12 Subtropical Rainforests: The Yungas and the Alto Paraná Rainforest