Current situation and development trend of eucalyptus pulp in China

The integration of forest and paper is a development model widely adopted in the world paper industry. Large-scale international pulp and paper enterprises have built fast-growing and high-yield raw material forest bases in various forms. With its rapid growth and high yield, strong adaptability, less pests and diseases, resource intensification, and high economic benefits, eucalyptus has become China's annual growth rate of 35 000 ~ 43 O00 hm2. According to incomplete statistics, the area of eucalyptus plantation in China reaches 1.6 million hm2, and it is predicted that it can reach 1.8 million hm2 in 2OlO. The development of eucalyptus pulp has been paid more and more attention by pulp and paper industry. The introduction and cultivation of eucalyptus in China has gone through about three stages so far. In 1890, the Chinese ambassador to Italy brought eucalyptus back to Guangzhou and Fuzhou for planting. In 1894, eucalyptus was introduced to Kunming, Yunnan Province. From 1896 to 1900, a large number of E.globulus were planted along roads and rivers in Yunnan Province. In 1910, E.camaldulensis and E.camaldulensis were introduced to Sichuan; in 1912, E. Camaldulensis and E. Maais were introduced to Xiamen; and in 1915, E. Camalodora, E.camaldulensis and E. Robusta were introduced to the section of Guangdong-Han Railway from Guangzhou to Shaoguan.

From 1890 to 1950, after 60 years of long years, a variety of eucalyptus seeds were introduced from various channels in different areas of foreign countries, and seedlings were cultivated and planted in the courtyard and around, most of which were scattered planting. As a productive operation of afforestation, the scale was small and the development was slow. 1.2 Extensive management stage After the founding of New China, China began to plant eucalyptus on a large scale in South China. In the early 1950s, Zhanjiang area of Guangdong Province took the lead in establishing the west Guangdong eucalyptus forest farm, which is now the Guanzhou Forestry Bureau. Subsequently, Guangxi established the Guinan Forestry Bureau, including the current Dongmen Forest farm, Qinlian forest farm, including 9 forest farms to plant eucalyptus, select eucalyptus tree species, explore the experience of forest operation, and begin to set up afforestation. From 1951 to 1980, in 30 years, it gradually developed into a productive afforestation, but fewer tree species and low tree growth. At the same time, in the selection of tree species, only a general selection was carried out, from eucalyptus macrophylla to eucalyptus wild, eucalyptus blue, and then determine the edge of the hole eucalyptus (E. xscrta), lemon as the promotion tree. Therefore, from the 1950s to the 1980s, forest technology was still in the exploratory period, and eucalyptus afforestation was still in the stage of expanding planting and phase release management. l.3 Vigorous development and Oriented cultivation stage With China's reform and opening up and economic development, China has vigorously developed eucalyptus plantations in South China as one of the ways to alleviate the shortage of wood resources, and vigorously developed eucalyptus through various ways. 

In December 1981, China and Australia signed a memorandum of understanding in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. After 8 years, the project built a 1400hm2 eucalyptus demonstration forest, introduced more than 100 kinds of eucalyptus, more than 200 provences, and established the largest eucalyptus gene bank with clear sources in China. Seven excellent fast-growing tree species, such as Eucalyptus urophylla, Eucalyptus macrophylla, Eucalyptus microphylla and Eucalyptus macrophylla, were selected, among which Eucalyptus urophylla and Eucalyptus macrophylla have been widely popularized in South China. Based on the selection of the excellent subspecies and the excellent population and individual plant of the seed source, the mother forest of 60 hm2 and the daughter forest of 40 hm2 were established. In 1984, the Chinese Academy of Forestry (CAF) and Australia launched a cooperative research on ---- Australian broadleaf trees, an important part of which is the introduction and cultivation of Australian eucalyptus in China. Through this project, 110 species, 350 provenances and 1 100 families of eucalyptus were introduced in China. In 1988, the Ministry of Forestry invested in the establishment of the Eucalyptus research and development Center with Australian assistance, and established the Eucalyptus professional Committee of the Chinese Forestry Society. Its main task is to organize and coordinate the national eucalyptus serialization research work, undertake the national distribution and application, technical services and technical consultation. Over the past 10 years, the Eucalyptus Research Center has undertaken nearly 60 national research projects, international cooperation projects and provincial (ministry), city (region) studies. 

And in 8 provinces and regions in South China, Southwest and East China, we carried out the oriented cultivation research of eucalyptus pulp, the cultivation of eucalyptus large-diameter wood, the research of precious eucalyptus, and the research of cold-resistant eucalyptus varieties. The experimental families reached 2000, and a batch of new varieties were cultivated, and achieved good results, which promoted the development of the national eucalyptus cause. In particular, the cultivation of eucalyptus pulp and the research of cold-resistant eucalyptus have achieved fruitful results, which has laid a foundation for the development of eucalyptus pulp in southern China. First of all, a batch of new varieties have been cultivated. China has introduced more than 300 varieties of eucalyptus, and more than 200 varieties have been cultivated and afforested, and more than 20 varieties have been planted on a large area of production. At present, the main eucalyptus species are more than 10 tree species, such as eucalyptus caudatum, eucalyptus grandis, Eucalyptus Weta, Eucalyptus caudatum, eucalyptus fine leaf, Eucalyptus Dunne, Eucalyptus blue, Eucalyptus bright fruit, eucalyptus Congo 12, Eucalyptus Raylin 1, etc. Some of them are excellent clones, the annual growth of trees is as high as 4 ~ 8m, and the wood production is 40 ~ 60 m3/hm2 per year. 2 Current situation of eucalyptus pulp in China 2.1 At present, eucalyptus has been introduced and planted in more than 600 counties in 18 provinces (autonomous regions and cities), including Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Yunnan, Fujian, Sichuan, Chongqing, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guizhou, Hubei, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Shanghai, Shaanxi, Taiwan and Gansu. The main producing areas of eucalyptus in China are Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Yunnan, Fujian and Sichuan. As of 2004, the main producing areas of the above eucalyptus are 45, 45, 20, 20, 64, 40000 hm2 respectively, and other provinces and regions 20 hm2, a total of 160 hm2. 

At present, the main way to use eucalyptus pulp is to produce wood chips for export. The national annual production of wood chips is 3 million tons (dry, the same below), mainly exported to Japan, South Korea and Taiwan and other countries and regions. In South China alone, the annual export volume of eucalyptus wood chips reaches 1 million tons, and the annual foreign exchange income is nearly 100 million US dollars. After the export of eucalyptus wood chips, the economic value increased by 4.6 times, and the profit and tax increased by 18 times. At present, the main provinces of production and export of eucalyptus wood chips in China are Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan, among which Zhanjiang, Haikou and Beihai are the centers, and Zhanjiang port is the most. For example, there are about 450,000 hm2 of eucalyptus trees in Guangdong Province, and the production areas are mainly Zhanjiang, Maoming, Yangjiang and other cities, with a production capacity of more than 400,000 t and a production potential of 750,000 t. In 1987, China began to export eucalyptus wood chips to Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. From 1987 to 1997, the export volume of eucalyptus wood chips in China showed an increasing trend year by year. After 1997, due to the influence of many factors such as the international situation and prices, the number of eucalyptus wood chips declined year by year. Since 2002, the price of eucalyptus wood chips has gradually recovered, and the newly signed agreement between Leizhou Forestry Bureau and Japanese Prince Company wood chips (absolute dry) price is 104 US dollars per ton. 

2.2.2 Overview of pulping In the past 20 years, a large number of experimental studies have been carried out on eucalyptus pulping in China, and more systematic results have been achieved. The pulping and papermaking experiments of lemon eucalyptus, limbic eucalyptus, salix eucalyptus, blue eucalyptus, straight rod blue eucalyptus, red eucalyptus, urophylla eucalyptus, macrophylla eucalyptus and grape eucalyptus have been carried out in Guangdong and Guangxi Paper Research Institute. In the national research projects, the Institute of Forestry and Forestry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Nanjing Forestry University have also done pulping experiments on lemon eucalyptus, urophylla eucalyptus and other tree species. - In addition to Eucalyptus, it is generally believed that suitable pulp and paper products can be produced from lemonpress, eucalyptus fornix, Eucalyptus urophylla, Eucalyptus grandis and Eucalyptus Raylin No. 1. The whiteness and strength of eucalyptus pulp are suitable for high and middle grade cultural paper, and the yield of eucalyptus pulp is higher than that of coniferous wood pulp, with less alkali consumption, low energy consumption, easy bleaching and good strength. At present, four paper mills have been built in Nanning, Liujiang, Liuzhou and Hezhou in Guangxi, one of the main producing areas of eucalyptus in China, with an annual production capacity of more than 250,000 tons, and the chemical pulp of eucalyptus accounts for 20% of the total chemical pulp. 3 Development trend 3.1 Scientific research foundation After the national "Seventh Five-Year Plan" to "tenth Five-Year Plan" scientific and technological research projects and through international cooperative research, China's eucalyptus research has initially reached the international equivalent level. In particular, The State Council undertook the national eucalyptus research project, and established a large number of seed source, family tests and artificial cross breeding tests in 8 provinces and regions, and propagated materials in more than 300 families, from which the average annual growth of excellent hybrid families reached 45 ~ 50m3•hm-2. At the same time, breeding for resistance to wind, cold and disease was also carried out, and 5 excellent clones and 8 cold-resistant families were screened for resistance to gale force 10 ~ 11, some of which could withstand low temperatures of minus 10 degrees Celsius. Through these studies, a total of 2 727 excellent phenotypic individuals were selected, 34 excellent clones were selected, the annual growth rate was up to 54.6 m3•hm-2, 2 326 genetic resources were collected, and 78 hm2 gene preservation bank was established. In terms of eucalyptus forest management technology, the research on supporting technologies such as rapid growth and high yield of eucalyptus and optimized cultivation mode has obtained a series of research results on the afforestation density, land preparation method, formula fertilization, combination of multiple cultivation measures, growth and harvest mode and afforestation in hills and mountains under different land types of eucalyptus in different regions, and many of them have been successfully applied in production. Especially, the research of hardy eucalyptus in recent 10 years has provided the conditions for China's eucalyptus cultivation area to move northward and advance into the mountains. 

The vegetative propagation technology of eucalyptus seedling is fully mature, and the factory tissue culture seedling has been widely used in production. At present, in Guangdong and Guangxi, there are more than 10 factories with an annual output of 10 million eucalyptus tissue culture seedlings, especially the establishment of national forest seedling demonstration base in southern China, which will produce 40 million eucalyptus seedlings annually. These seedling plants can also greatly expand the production capacity, which can provide enough high-quality seedlings for large-scale eucalyptus afforestation. 3.2 Policy support With the increasing shortage of forest resources in China and the worsening of the ecological environment, the Party Central Committee and The State Council attach great importance to the word. The Third Plenary Session of the 15th CPC Central Committee stressed the need to improve the ecological environment, put forward a strategy for sustainable development, and deployed a series of key forestry projects, including the construction of a shelterbelt system and natural forest protection projects. 

At present, the State Forestry Administration is implementing six key forestry projects, among which the main task in the coastal areas of South China is to develop commercial timber of plantation, and eucalyptus is the first choice for the development of rapid growing timber of plantation in south China. The state not only continues to carry out key research on eucalyptus scientific research, but also gives greater investment in funds. For example, in order to promote the development of eucalyptus seed selection, introduction, breeding and propagation, the state has invested nearly 80 million yuan to establish a large-scale professional nursery in Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province - the Southern national forest seedling demonstration base, whose main task is to produce and promote excellent clone seedlings of eucalyptus. Guangdong, Hainan and Guangxi, the most important producing areas of eucalyptus, have actively introduced a series of preferential policies to encourage the development of eucalyptus pulp. For example, the People's Government of Guangdong Province supports the afforestation activities of foreign businesses operating eucalyptus and other tree species in Guangdong, including: the period of use of forest land can be extended to 60 years, forest fund, maintenance fee return ratio can be reduced to 50% ~ 85% and other 6 preferential policies; 

The government and forestry authorities in Guangxi Province actively introduce foreign investment and develop eucalyptus, becoming the fastest growing province (region) of eucalyptus in China in recent years. Eucalyptus and its processing have become the pillar industry of Guangxi forestry. In March 2005, Hainan Province made the decision to accelerate the development of pulp materials, adjusting the forestry fund fee standard of eucalyptus and other pulp materials, from the original 20% of the primary sales price to 5%, forest cutting indicators, wood management and other aspects of the step open, beating the enthusiasm of all aspects, Hainan people believe that "Hainan's development of eucalyptus spring". Our government has created unprecedented opportunities for the development of eucalyptus pulp. 3.3 Market needs In recent years, China's paper industry has entered a period of rapid growth, paper and cardboard, consumption has maintained a high-speed growth rate of 10%-20% per year, in 2004, China's paper and cardboard consumption of 54.39 million tons, becoming the world's second largest paper consumer after the United States. However, in the consumption structure of paper products, the proportion of wood pulp paper is only 18%, of which domestic wood pulp accounts for only 6% to 7%. Data show that China's wood pulp imports have increased significantly at an average annual rate of 22%, and the country's annual foreign exchange for pulp and paper products imports has reached 7 billion US dollars. It is predicted that by 2015, the consumption of paper and cardboard will be 88 million tons, and the dependence on wood pulp imports will increase to 30%. In the face of China's huge paper consumer market, multinational paper giants will seize the Chinese paper consumer market through mergers and acquisitions. 

In order to accelerate the development of China's paper industry, realize the transformation of raw material supply to the intensive, high-tech and industrial direction, fundamentally solve the irrational problem of raw material structure that has plagued the development of China's paper industry for a long time, change the status quo of raw material dependence on imports, and promote the process of forest pulp paper - bulk. Approved by The State Council and published by the National Development and Reform Commission, the National Forest Paper - Physical engineering construction "Tenth Five-Year Plan" and 2010 special plan, plans to invest 200 billion yuan in China's forestry and paper industry in the next 10 years, build a fast growing and high-yield paper forest base of 5 million hm2, and add 5.5 million tons of wood pulp production. The proportion of domestic wood pulp will be increased from the current 6% to 15%, and the common development of paper industry and forestry will be realized. 3.4 Development trend The current level and results of eucalyptus research in China have laid a good foundation for the development of eucalyptus pulp. The sharp increase in market demand, the country's attention to the development of eucalyptus plantation will certainly contribute to the progressive development of eucalyptus pulp, can predict the development trend of eucalyptus pulp is: 3.4.1 Further improving the growth rate of Eucalyptus pulp and expanding the planting scope The average growth rate of the existing eucalyptus pulp is still low, and the gap is still large from the advanced planting countries. We must continue to vigorously develop the breeding of new varieties and cooperate with the research of cultivation measures to further increase the yield of wood. Expand the planting range of eucalyptus, make eucalyptus "uphill", strengthen the study of cold tolerance, and make eucalyptus move north. 3.4.2 In order to achieve economic benefits and improve wood quality, the comprehensive implementation of eucalyptus pulp clonal afforestation is the only way for the development of eucalyptus plantation in the future. 

China only put forward the oriented cultivation of eucalyptus pulp from the "eighth Five-Year Plan", which has a certain gap with the world's advanced level. During the "ninth Five-Year Plan" period, the research on improving wood quality and perfecting breeding supporting technology was carried out, and the genetic improvement of wood property and resistance was included in the research content. But research in this area is just beginning. How to combine the cultivation of eucalyptus plantation with the production cost of pulp, take the economic benefit of the final product as the breeding goal, study the economic weight of each growth character and wood character, integrate the economic information into the breeding strategy, and cultivate the eucalyptus varieties with low price and high quality pulp products is the future development direction of eucalyptus pulp. 3.4.3 The transformation to scale and intensification, and the development scale to forest paper and bulk directly affect the production cost, production efficiency and economic benefits of enterprises. Although the existing area of eucalyptus in China reaches 1.6 million hm2, its distribution is very scattered. The Leizhou Forestry Bureau, the largest specialized eucalyptus forest farm, has only 42,000 hm2 of eucalyptus plantation area. The other 90% of eucalyptus forest is distributed in small forest farms and farmers' hands, and the degree of improved varieties of eucalyptus species is low.