Strora Enso plants industrial trees in Laos

(KPL) Stora Enso Lao Co. Ltd., invested US$5 million in the plantation of industrial trees in Ta-oi district, southern Saravane province.

This company signed on 26 August with the Lao government an agreement on concession rights to 812 hectares of land for 50 years.

The signatories to the agreement were Chief Operating Officer of Stora Enso Lao Co. Ltd., Mr. Peter Fogde, and Deputy Director General of the National Land Management Authority, Dr. Akhom Tounalom.

Since 2007, Stora Enso has worked closely with farmers, district and provincial authorities to develop and test a unique agro-forestry model, based on the bottom-up approach and focused on farmers.

The key words were 100% bomb clearing, 70% agricultural production and 30% tree plantation.

Stora Enso had test-bedded such a system by planting 200 hectares in Ta-Oi district.

More than 100 families participated in the move by planting rice and rattan between the rows of trees and this had reduced shifting cultivation within the locality.

This company had also submitted a comprehensive third party Environmental and Social Impact Assessment and was granted the Lao Government Environmental and Social Certificate in January 2009.

Stora Enso is one of the largest forest companies in the world with close to 40,000 employees in 40 countries. A Swedish King issued Stora Enso a company license 700 years ago.

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