This document summarizes pine chemicals production in South America. Crude gum production differs from other regions due to most pines growing in natural forests rather than plantations and being tapped by individual farmers rather than companies. Crude gum is produced across South America in tropical and subtropical pine species, with Brazil and Argentina being the largest producers, collectively generating over 100,000 metric tons annually. Crude gum is extracted through regular cuts in the pine bark applied with a chemical stimulant. Efforts to improve tapping techniques include selecting higher-yielding pine varieties, wider spacing for tree growth, micro-tapping, and developing new non-acidic stimulants. The future of tapping in the region may involve larger forest owners, shorter

2. SOUTH AMERICA
Pine Chemicals Update
1. Why crude gum production is different in South America.
2. Where crude gum is produced.
3. How crude gum is produced.
4. How much crude gum is produced.
5. What we are doing to improve the “tapping technique”.
6. ... and what about the future of “pine tapping” in South America.

3. 1. Why crude gum production is different in South America.
TROPIC OF
CANCER
ECUATOR
TROPIC OF
CAPRICORN

4. 1. Why crude gum production is different in South America.
NATURAL FOREST vs. PLANTED FOREST

5. 1. Why crude gum production is different in South America.
FARMER vs. PINE TAPPING Co.

6. 2. Where crude gum is produced in South America.
ECUATOR
TROPIC OF
CAPRICORN

7. 2. Where crude gum is produced in South America.
Tropical pines:
P. car. var. caribaea
P. car. var. hondurensis
P. car. var. bahamensis
P. oocarpa
TROPIC OF
CAPRICORN
Subtropical pines:
P. elliottii

8. 3. How crude gum is produced.

9. 3. How crude gum is produced.
Eloise Gerry (1921) Ralph W. Clements (1974)

10. 3. How crude gum is produced.
• CUT (STREAK) MADE EVERY 15 / 21 DAYS
REMOVING BARK, PHLOEMA AND CAMBIUM.
• CHEMICAL STIMULANT APPLIED IN PASTE FORM.

11. 4. How much crude gum is produced.

12. 4. How much crude gum is produced.
BRAZIL
ANNUAL PRODUCTION OF
CRUDE GUM
100,000 MT CRUDE GUM
(~ 12,000 MT) EXPORTED
=========
88,000 MT INDUSTRIALIZED
* 73 %
=========
~ 64,000 MT GUM ROSIN
( 26,000 MT) EXPORTED
=========
38,000 MT GUM ROSIN
CONSUMED LOCALY

13. 4. How much crude gum is produced.
ARGENTINA
CROP 1997/98 = 18,000 MT => ANNUAL RECORD TILL TODAY!
CROPS 1998/99 TO 2010/11 = FROM AN INITIAL DEEP,
RECOVERED TO ABOUT 12,000 MT/YEAR…
NEW CROP 2011/12 (STARTING SEPTEMBER 2011) = NEW
RECORD EXPECTED => ~ 20,000 MT

14. 5. What we are doing to improve the “tapping technique”.

15. 5. What we are doing to improve the “tapping technique”.
PLANTING FOR WOOD & CRUDE GUM.
• Seedlings from selected pine trees.
• Wide planting spacing.
• Micro‐tapping.

16. 5. What we are doing to improve the “tapping technique”.
GEP III – R&D PROJECT IN BRAZIL.
• New Chemical Stimulants.
• Need to reduce (eliminate) H2SO4 in
chemical stimulants.
• Micro‐tapping.

17. 5. What we are doing to improve the “tapping technique”.

18. 6. ... and what about the future of “pine tapping”
in South America.

19. 6. ... and what about the future of “pine tapping”
in South America.
• Based on big forest owners.
• Supported by medium size forest
owners (100 to 1,000 hectares).
• Short forest rotation (< 15 years?).

20. 6. ... and what about the future of “pine tapping”
in South America.
• Better understanding of how the pine
tree produces crude gum (oleoresinosis).
• Less intervention.
• Planting exclusively for crude gum
production (?).
• Mechanization.

21. THANK YOU!