Advances in eucalypt research in China

Abstract

Eucalypt plantations in China currently exceed 4.5 Mhm 2 , and this country has the third largest area of such plantations after India and Brazil. China's eucalypt industry now comprises a complex, multifaceted industry including seedling propagation, fertilizer production and supply, plantation silviculture, harvesting and transport, wood processing for products including lumber, pulp and paper, and wood-based panels, as well as bioenergy production and various forest byproducts and non-wood forest products. In 2015, the combined value of output of this whole industry was around 300 billion CNY. Chinese research and development (R&D) has been instrumental in supporting growth and development across the whole breadth of the country's eucalypt industry. In this report, recent advances in this R&D are reviewed under six key topics: (1) advanced propagation technology; (2) genetic resources and breeding; (3) targeted silviculture; (4) eucalypt disease and pest management; (5) enhancing plantation ecology and sustainability; and (6) wood processing and byproduct technology. R&D has greatly facilitated expansion and proliferation of all parts of China's eucalypt industry. This industry is now of major importance to China's economy; it involves tens of thousands of growers and companies that provide livelihoods for hundreds of thousands of people.

Drying Characteristics of Eucalyptus urophylla × E. grandis with Supercritical CO2

“…Eucalyptus is also an important raw material for the production of wood-based panels, wood floors, and wooden furniture [3]. However, due to a large number of extracts, poor permeability, large growth stress, cracking, deformation, warping, shrinkage, and other drying defects are easy to occur during conventional kiln drying (CKD), which results in a decrease of timber strength and timber utilization ratio [4]. The key technology to reduce the drying defects mentioned above is to develop suitable drying methods.…”

Thermogravimetric Analysis–Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy Study on the Effect of Extraction Pretreatment on the Pyrolysis Properties of Eucalyptus Wood Waste

“…At present, in China, the existing plantation area of eucalyptus is 4.5 hm 2 , and the eucalypt industry now comprises complex and multifaceted areas, including upstream seedling, planting, harvesting, and transport, and downstream wood processing for multiple products, with around 300 billion CNY for the combined output value of this whole industry. 4 During the managing, harvesting, and wood processing of eucalypt trees, a great amount of wood wastes is generated, such as branch, bark, sawdust, discarded furniture, floors, and so on, which has great potential as a bioenergy resource of the future in China.…”

Factors Limiting the Growth of Eucalyptus and the Characteristics of Growth and Water Use under Water and Fertilizer Management in the Dry Season of Leizhou Peninsula, China

“…The demand for wood in China is expected to reach 800 million m 3 by 2020. In recent years, the shortage of international timber resources [3,4], coupled with the complete cessation of commercial harvesting of natural forests in China, has made China's timber dependence on imports to nearly 60% [5]. Plantations play an important role in forest resources and an increasingly important role in wood production, environmental improvement and climate change mitigation [6].…”

“…As one of the three fast-growing trees genera recognized in the world, the current plantation area of eucalyptus in China is about 4.5 million hectares [7]. Although it only accounts for 6.5% of China's planted forest area, the annual output of wood exceeds 30 million m 3 , accounting for 26.9% of the national timber production [5]. Therefore, eucalyptus has become an important strategic tree genus in southern China.…”