Introduction

The expansion of areas with planted forests, whether in monoculture or integrated systems such as Crop-Livestock-Forest Integration (iCLF), has been driven by the Low Carbon Agriculture Plan (ABC Plan and ABC+). The Cerrado biome covers an area of 2 million hectares, corresponding to 24% of the entire Brazilian territory [SNIF, 2016]. This proposal aims to mitigate the risks associated with these ventures in the Cerrado biome.

Despite the opportunities presented by the Cerrado biome, there are significant challenges to be faced. The seasonal distribution of rainfall (constantly changing), with periods of severe drought in the winter and occurrences of dry spells, combined with the naturally low soil fertility and aluminum toxicity, demands specific strategies for establishing forests in the region.

Brazil has extensive experience in the forestry sector, with a significant area of planted forests. Currently, there are 9.85 million hectares of planted forests, with 75.2% eucalyptus, 20.6% pine, and other species representing 4.2% of the total planted area in the country [IBGE, 2017].

A crucial aspect of establishing forest plantations is the correct selection of genetic material to be used. This decision directly influences the success of the venture, as trees have long cycles, and the inappropriate use of species or clones can result in losses throughout the cultivation cycle. Considering the product's purpose, adaptation to the environment, silvicultural knowledge, and species profitability, species and clones well adapted to the conditions of the Cerrado biome were selected [Silva et al. 2019].

Among the criteria mentioned above, two of the four described factors were considered: adaptation to the characteristics of the Cerrado biome and silvicultural knowledge of forests in monoculture and iCLF, to select the species/clones that are part of the scope of the first phase of the SiFlor Cerrado Project. This phase generated the data that forms the basis for creating SiFlor4Decision, the second phase of the project. This database includes species such as Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus genus and species Corymbia citriodora), Pine (Pinus genus), Australian Cedar (Toona ciliata), African Mahogany (Khaya spp.), and Teak (Tectona grandis).

A previous research project called "Information System for Forest Planning in the Brazilian Cerrado" - SiFlor Cerrado (https://www.siflorcerrado.com.br/) already has a simple recommendation system implemented and running. This project was developed by researchers from ESALQ/USP and UFPR, in partnership with Embrapa and with financial support from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply (MAPA) [Silva et al. 2019, Silva et al. 2021]. The technical support for the development phase of the Web/Mobile system was provided by researchers from ICMC/USP and the proposing startup, Triangulos Tecnologia. The motivation for this multidisciplinary and complex composition is in response to an initiative called “Sectoral Plan for Mitigation and Adaptation to Climate Change to Consolidate a Low Carbon Economy in Agriculture (ABC Plan and ABC+),” particularly in meeting the goal of expanding 3 million hectares of planted forests for the production of fiber, wood, and pulp [MAPA 2021].

The SiFlor Cerrado Project generated a database for the five species mentioned above. From the field surveys carried out, 1,796 plots were sampled, resulting in a dataset comprising quantitative and qualitative information on 88 species/clones. These data were collected in 66 municipalities in the states of Bahia, Goiás, Maranhão, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Piauí, São Paulo, and Tocantins.

These data will be fully utilized in SiFlor4Decision, the second phase of this project, enabling the construction of structural (visual and explainable) models through Artificial Intelligence tools to represent the most relevant information stored in the SiFlor Cerrado system's database (heterogeneous and multisource data). The generated models should assist in statistical analyses and inferences to guide and support technicians who seek to use the knowledge stored in SiFlor Cerrado for planning new planting areas and implementing new cultivars.