Globally, Brazil is one of the most important producers of wood products from forest plantations. Climatic conditions suitable for high productivity coupled with strong market demand and other factors have led to a marked increase in the area devoted to forest plantations in the country. Wood production from these plantations has brought important macroeconomic benefits through export. However, knowledge of the socio-economic impacts of forest plantations at sub-national levels remains limited in Brazil as in other tropical country contexts. This study addresses this knowledge gap by analyzing the socioeconomic impacts of forest plantations across the municipalities of Minas Gerais, the state with the largest plantation area in Brazil since 1980. We use panel data regression methods to analyze the relationship between forest plantation area, poverty, and other variables over a 20-year period. The results show that an increase in forest plantation area is associated with a decrease in poverty over time. Our findings run counter to much of the current evidence on the socio-economic impacts of forest plantations and have important implications for research and policy on this topic not only in Brazil, but elsewhere in Latin America and beyond.

在全球范围内，巴西是最重要的人工林木制品生产国之一。适合高生产力的气候条件，加上强劲的市场需求和其他因素，导致该国森林种植面积显着增加。这些种植园的木材生产通过出口带来了重要的宏观经济利益。然而，与其他热带国家一样，巴西对次国家级森林种植的社会经济影响的了解仍然有限。本研究通过分析自 1980 年以来巴西种植面积最大的州米纳斯吉拉斯州各市的森林种植的社会经济影响来解决这一知识差距。我们使用面板数据回归方法来分析森林种植面积、20 年期间的贫困和其他变量。结果表明，随着时间的推移，森林种植面积的增加与贫困的减少有关。我们的研究结果与目前关于人工林社会经济影响的许多证据背道而驰，并且不仅在巴西，而且在拉丁美洲及其他地区对这一主题的研究和政策具有重要意义。