Wood quality of intensively cultivated slash and loblolly pine

By the year 2000, an estimated 50% of Georgia's pine harvest will be from managed stands (1). Because intensively managed stands are now being utilized to provide fiber from rotations as short as 12 years, wood quality issues such as density and juvenile wood are becoming increasingly important to the paper industry. Although much research has been completed in the area of tree growth and fiber quantity, wood quality parameters affecting the kraft paper industry are still relatively unknown. This presentation will review past work on the effects of plantation pine on fiber quality for paper production and discuss research into determining the impact on paper processing in the future.