Did you know that one of the largest forests in the world, built and planted by the hand of man, is located in one of the most privileged countries, in terms of climate and natural wealth, as Venezuela is? Well, that’s the way it is and if you didn’t know, we invite you to continue reading so you can see how this magnificent project was planned and accomplished.
Uverito plantation, as it is also known, is located in southern Monagas state and part of Anzoátegui state. It has more than 600 hectares of Caribbean Pine, which is used by different companies for sustainable exploitation and wood processing. which is then used in the industry for marketing.
How did it all start? It arose with the proposal made by forestry expert and agronomist José Joaquín Cabrera Malo, also known as Jota Jota, who was born in 1921, in the capital of Venezuela, Caracas.
His vision was beyond a dream, managing to capture together with the newly created Venezuelan Corporation of Guayana (Corporación Venezolana de Guayana – CVG) and the former Ministry of Agriculture and Breeding, a way to reduce the erosion of winds that caused considerable damage to plant areas of the mesa of Guanipa, a natural wealth located in the eastern plains of the Venezuelan territory, being this one of the most privileged places in that area, both for its vegetation, soils, location, as well as for all the industrial and commercial activities that are developed there with food cultivation.
This immensely infertile land was what attracted engineer Cabrera Malo to begin the studies of the soils of this great geological formation, which due to erosion by the wind had become almost a desert. That is why it is said that he created something almost impossible: a forest in the desert. From that moment, he decided to sow his dream and give the necessary impulse to Uverito plantations, trying to get financing to achieve it as soon as possible.
However, it was not until June 6, 1966, when he was able to start this arduous task of planting pines manually, work that did not allow to advance with the daily expectations, so it used to become too slow and unproductive. As a result of this situation, a machine that would relieve sowing work was created, increasing its productivity to 30 thousand pines per day and little by little the technology was improved, managing to reforest, approximately, 500 hectares, which allowed the recovery of that desert area, almost completely.
You may ask, why was the Caribbean pine chosen as the most appropriate? This was due to previous studies on the type of plantation indicated that being a desert area, the most advisable thing was to plant a type of plant that did not need to feed directly from the soil, since in this case it was not suitable for it; reason why the Caribbean pine was the suitable one, because of its faculty to nourish itself from the fungus that it produces itself around its roots. Therefore it was chosen to plant the forest.
Little by little, the reforestation was almost total with the three types of Caribbean pine that were planted, in this case moved from the island of Cuba, the Bahamas and Holland. After 30 years the fruits of this marvel created by man were seen, making it the largest reforestation in the world, which represents a national pride for all Venezuelans.
As expected, the pine plantations generated significant and favorable changes in the climate of the region and therefore in their environment, thanks to the growth of vegetation that helped to produce a large amount of oxygen to counteract the pollution of the environment, produced by the large petrochemical industries surrounding the place.
On the other hand, one of the biggest concerns of the people in charge of Uverito Forest, lies in its conservation and in the maintenance of the fire control systems, since a catastrophe of this type could quickly end the work and the dream of years of sacrifice and dedication. For that reason, the nearby inhabitants have been educated to awaken their love and therefore, the preservation of this giant plantation.
But unfortunately, not everything is as perfect as you think, and despite what it means to own this great forest in a region or country, there is a great disadvantage with respect to this type of vegetation, since the Caribbean pine has leaves in the form of needles which come off and when they fall to the ground are called leaf litter and unfortunately, are highly flammable when they dry on the ground.
That is why, during 2016, the largest forest fire occurred in Venezuela, as it was so devastating that it went on for almost one week, more than fifty thousand hectares, which caused the size of the forest to decrease and it directly affected the ecosystem. An invaluable loss for nature.
Finally, if you want to know this exuberant place, you can travel through Venezuelan plains and stop at the edge of the road, to admire this natural treasure that has allowed the name of this country to be held high.
ALFA