Perfil socioeconômico e ambiental do setor madeireiro da Cidade de Patos - Paraíba, Brasil.

Abstract

In the city of Patos - PB there are many companies whose bussiness depend on wood for commercialization, production of their merchandise, power generation, among others. However, the use of wood generates waste that causes negative environmental impacts. Therefore, this research aimed at developing a socio-economic and environmental profile of the situation of the wood sector in the city of Patos-PB. For this purpose, a survey of the establishments of the timber sector was carried out through information from the SEBRAE (Portuguese acronym for Brazilian Micro and Small Enterprises Support Service) in Patos-PB. After that, we sought to catalogue other establishments by going through the various neighborhoods of the city. A semi-structured questionnaire with a quanti-qualitative approach was applied regarding aspects of the raw material, production, and socioeconomic and environmental conditions. The companies were classified as micro and small companies, most of them located in the downtown area. We found that carpentry shops are the predominant activity and wood stores, although in smaller number, are fundamentally important activities for Patos and neighboring cities. Most establishments have been operating for over 10 years, with a small number of employees with a high school education degree earning between 1 and 2 minimum salaries. Loggers commercialize their timber in the form of blocks, boards, rafters and slats. The carpentry shops produce frames, doors, windows, designed furniture and make small repairs, and they depend on the deals they close to acquire the raw material. The most common waste generated by those establishments are sawdust and woodchips. Most companies use only standard tools like circular saw, drills, trencher and others. Just a few of them have modernized their shops with innovative equipment and control of solid waste stock. About 79% of the establishments obtained the level of conflicting perception, which indicates that they probably have an understanding of the environmental impacts caused by the wastes, but they do not always implement the necessary environmental practices. According to the profile of the businesses of the wood companies in Patos-PB, it is observed that the sector is highly important not only for the city but also for the surrounding towns and there is a need for modernization, staff training, as well as a better awareness of the environmental impacts caused by the sector.