Ciliary Reforestation

Our Ciliary Woods Reforestation Program began in 1990. Through an agreement between the Federal University of Lavras (UFLA) and the Energy Company of Minas Gerais (CEMIG), its main purpose was the generation of technology in the restoration of ciliary forests on the banks of reservoirs.  

Our ciliary forest restoration projects were initially implemented in the “Volta Grande” Hydroelectric Power Station reservoir in 1991, giving priority to the development of technologies for seedling production. Many challenges were faced to master native seedling production techniques. UFLA developed several research projects, which contributed to define the species that would best adapt to the conditions of the “Volta Grande” reservoir.  

Over the period 1992-2005, a total of 705,263 (seven hundred and five thousand, two hundred and sixty-three) seedlings were planted, on a surface area of approximately 480.00 ha. Besides the collaboration with UFLA, landowners on the river banks also walked side by side with the project. Several field activities were carried out involving the owners, rural unions, EMATER, IEF. The program was widely disseminated through folders, lectures, press, etc.  

P&D 484

In collaboration with the Federal University of Ouro Preto (UFOP), P&D 484 was also developed between 2012 and 2016, with the main purpose of assessing the degree of sustainability of ciliary forests in different succession stages of “Volta Grande” Reservoir through indicators obtained from temporal and spatial analysis of ecosystem processes and biodiversity.  

This systemic analysis made it possible to assess the effectiveness of different reforestation methods implemented in the areas over the last 20 years. The results of this work are available in the book “Restoration and conservation of ciliary forests in hydroelectric reservoirs – Importance for the conservation of biodiversity and ecological processes”, which has been widely distributed among the academic community, electric sector companies, environmental agencies and other interested parties and is still widely used as a bibliographic reference.  

The results obtained through P&D 484 demonstrate that the reforested areas around “Volta Grande” Hydroelectric Power Station reservoir, despite not having been restored with the specific purpose of recovering biodiversity, ecological processes and ecosystem services, currently present this set of elements, important for their “survival”. The main benefits of the “Volta Grande” reservoir reforestation program were improved physical environment, erosion control, maintenance of soil fertility and hydrological cycles, increase of plant and fauna biodiversity, increase of aquatic invertebrates’ biodiversity, vegetation productivity and carbon fixation, bringing direct benefits to human life.    

Nowadays we also have the Itutinga Environmental Station (EAITU) which is located in the municipality of Itutinga, at Km 306 of BR 265, between Itutinga and Camargos HPPs, near the cities of Lavras and São João Del Rei. It was inaugurated in July 1994, with an area of 3.52 hectares and its infrastructure includes 01 (one) Laboratory of Fish Farming and 01 (one) seedling nursery.  

The Seedling Nursery works with recommended and identified native species in two groups: The Pioneers (PI), fast growing and producing fruits attractive to the fauna and the Climax (CL), demanding of light, these are species of intermediate growth which appear in the last stage of forest succession.

The production of seedlings takes place through the process of sowing or staking, where seeds and cuttings are collected in the region around the Environmental Station. After seeds germinate or cuttings sprout in greenhouses, they are transferred to tubers and are grown to average sizes between 30 and 40 cm, depending on the species.

A minimum monthly production (from January to November of each year) of 2,500 seedlings/month of native species is foreseen, being 50% with pioneer species (PI) and 50% with climax species (CL) totaling 22,000 seedlings/year, considering an average loss of 10% per year. These native seedlings produced will be used for revegetation in ciliary forest planting, recovery of degraded areas and the protection of springs.

The Station will also provide support to activities related to the practices of EEP (Environmental Education Program) of Itutinga and Camargos Power Plants, as required, through monitored visits by students and other interested parties, and also training in the areas of fish farming and forestry.