reddish, somewhat heavy-textured subsoils and are 
penetrated readily by water and roots. 
these soils are highly leached and low in content of 
Some of 
plant nutrients: others are less leached and somewhat 
more fertile. The silty and clayey soils have good 
water-holding capacity and in general support 
tropical rain forest. Areas of sandy soils, however, 
often possess a hardpan layer in the subsoil which 
interferes with the deep penetration of water and 
roots and are usually covered with shrubby growth 
or grass. 
Lowlands of the Paraguay and 
Parana Rivers 
The lowlands of the Paraguay-Parand River sys- 
tem in Brazil are much smaller in extent than those 
of the Amazon. The alluvial plain of the Paraguay 
River in the southwestern part of the State of Mato 
Grosso is inundated from November to April, form- 
ing an extensive swampy area known as the “Pan- 
tanal.” 
and the low level of inundation, vegetative cover is 
extremely patchy, varying from areas of coarse 
grass to considerable areas of tropical rain forest. 
Like the Amazon, the Paraguay to its junction with 
the Paranda River and the Parana below this junction 
have a low gradient, and the head of navigation for 
Because of minor differences in elevation 
small-draft vessels is some 2.300 miles up river from 
its mouth at Buenos Aires. Smaller areas of alluvial 
lowland occur along the Paranda and Uruguay Rivers 
in southern Brazil. These are covered with tropical 
rain forest and include some prairie. The soils of 
these alluvial areas are, in general, similar to the 
grayish alluvial soils of the Amazon Basin. 
Coastal Plains 
The coastal plains occur as a generally narrow belt 
extending along the Atlantic coast from the Guiana 
East of 
the mouth of the Amazon River the coastal plain 
border to the southern boundary of Brazil. 
broadens to cover the northern half of the State of 
Maranhao. From the valley of the Parnaiba River 
east and south, the coastal plain is narrow, often less 
than 50 miles wide, or occasionally becoming wider 
where some rivers flow into the ocean. In some 
places the transition from the plain to plateau is 
gradual, but along the Atlantic coast for nearly 1,500 
miles this narrow plain is bounded on the west by 
steep wall-like slopes known as the Great Escarp- 
ment. The parts of the coastal plain and the lower 
FORESTS AND FOREST INDUSTRIES OF BRAZIL 
727-155 °—_64——_2 
‘scientific agriculture. 
slopes of the escarpment not cleared for agriculture 
- are covered with tropical forests: and areas of muddy 
saline soils usually covered at high tide contain ex- 
The first area to be 
colonized, the coastal plain has remained the most 
tensive mangrove thickets. 
populated and intensively developed region, although 
it comprises only a small part of Brazil’s total area. 
The soils near streams and close to the coast are 
typically grayish, in general similar to the alluvial 
soils of Brazil’s river systems: back on the lower 
slopes the soils are red and yellow, generally silts and 
clays. The soils in the coastal plains have been 
extensively used for agriculture. 
Brazilian Highlands 
West of the coastal plain and the Great Esearp- 
ment rise the vast Brazilian Highlands, characterized 
by rolling hills, mountains, and extensive plateaus. 
These highlands account for well over half of Brazil’s 
total area. Generally the elevation ranges between 
1,000 and 3,000 feet, but some mountain ridges 
reach above 5,000 feet and occasional peaks rise over 
9.000 feet. 
The soils of this highland area fall roughly into 
three general categories: Brown and red desert, red 
and yellow, and dark. The brown and red desert 
soils of the northeast, an area subject to frequent 
drought. support thorny brush and sparse grass. 
Even though their content of plant nutrients is 
fairly high, they have little potential for agriculture 
Use is confined principally to 
grazing, but subsistence crops can be produced during 
unless irrigated. 
years of above-average rainfall. 
The red and yellow soils in central Brazil have 
been used most extensively for grazing; shifting 
agriculture for subsistence crops is secondary. 
Although natural fertility is generally rather low, 
most red and yellow soils are capable of providing 
satisfactory crop yields under good management and 
Essential practices include 
crop rotation, application of fertilizer, and elimina- 
tion of the yearly burning of vegetation. 
In southern Brazil are found two groups of dark 
soils superficially alike but markedly different in 
physical properties. West of the coastal escarpment 
principally in the States of Parana and Santa Cata- 
rina, the dark silts and silty clays are derived from 
the noncrystalline igneous rock of Brazil’s great 
basalt tableland on which grows much of its Parana 
pine. 
brown, thick, moderately friable, and high in content 
The surface layers are black to very dark 
3 
