Wood, pulp and handsheet relationships in plantation grown Eucalyptus globulus

Eucalyptus globulus trees, representing a range of wood densities, were harvested from three sites at eight percentage heights per tree, kraft pulped and handsheets prepared for testing. Two laboratories provided kraft pulp evaluations; the third used bisulfite pulping. SilviScan 2 was used to determine radial profiles of density and microfibril angle from each height. Longitudinal density variation differed between trees, but generally increased on all sites. Microfibril angle remained constant with height apart from an initial reduction between 0 and 0.5 m above ground. Data from 0% height was therefore considered atypical, probably resulting from buttressing effects close to the ground. Density and microfibril angle data explained greater than 70% of kraft pulp variance in bulk, burst, stretch, TEA index and tensile strength. No significant variance was explained in bisulfite pulps. Refining the pulps improved the predictions of wood properties.