Planted in time
The forests Giovanni Sale helped map as a young planner in the mid-1990s are mature now
When he joined Sappi in 1995, straight out of university, his focus was on planning – tracking growth, recording harvests and ensuring that what was taken from the land never exceeded what it could grow back in a year. It was work defined by long horizons, where decisions made on paper would take decades to fully reveal their impact.
Nearly 30 years on, Giovanni is now Head of Sustainability for Sappi Southern Africa. His journey between those two points reflects the broader evolution of forestry itself – from manual systems and paper maps to data-led decision-making, advanced genetic research and a far more expansive understanding of what sustainability really means.
Early in his career, Giovanni was part of the team that introduced Geographic Information Systems (GIS) into Sappi’s forestry operations. It marked a fundamental shift: transforming static maps into dynamic datasets capable of guiding long-term decisions about planting, harvesting and land use. His work soon expanded into research and development, exploring how different tree species perform across South Africa’s varied climates, how to manage pests and diseases, and how to grow trees resilient to a changing environment.
South African forestry, Giovanni explains, is closer to farming than to the management of natural forests seen in parts of Europe or North America. Plantations are established on former grassland or agricultural land, and every decision – from genetics to spacing to rotation length – carries long-term consequences.
You’re always working with time,” he says. “And you don’t get quick feedback.
Giovanni Sale, Head of Sustainability for Sappi Southern Africa
After spending time in forest fire insurance, where he deepened his understanding of climate risk, recovery and rehabilitation, Giovanni returned to Sappi to lead national planning, research and nursery operations. At one point, he oversaw the production of more than 54 million seedlings a year, modernising nursery systems that would underpin the company’s future forests. Alongside that technical work ran another, less visible outcome: the development of young foresters and scientists, many of whom have since grown into senior roles of their own.
Today, Giovanni’s role brings those threads together – at the intersection of environmental stewardship, climate resilience and social impact. The forests remain central to that work, but they are now part of a much broader system that includes the people and places surrounding Sappi’s operations.
“In South Africa, forestry doesn’t exist in isolation,” Giovanni says. “Our operations sit within rural landscapes, alongside communities who depend on the same land. Sustainability only works if those communities are thriving too.”
Rather than treating sustainability as a collection of stand-alone initiatives, Sappi’s approach is rooted in long-term partnerships that blend ecological outcomes with social progress – creating shared value for people and the environment.
Across the business, this approach takes many forms – from supporting local enterprise development to enabling small-scale growers to enter forestry value chains, investing in skills and food security, and working to protect biodiversity while respecting cultural customs and knowledge.
You don’t always see the impact immediately,” he says. “But if you get the fundamentals right – the science, the relationships, the trust – things start to grow.
Giovanni Sale, Head of Sustainability for Sappi Southern Africa
At Sappi, those fundamentals now shape work that reaches beyond the forest itself – into water, carbon, manufacturing and communities. As climate pressures intensify and expectations continue to evolve, the focus is on building systems that can bend without breaking and adapt without losing their roots. Because in sustainability, as in forestry, the most meaningful progress is designed long before it’s visible.
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