UPM Pulp Matters 1/2023

CUT T ING EDGE

EUCALYP UPM’s first forestry research centre specialising in eucalyptus plantations was inaugurated in May 2022, bringing together more than 30 years of the company’s accumulated knowledge. According to Ricardo Methol , Senior Manager, Technical Development & Planning at UPM Uruguay, the work originates in the early 90s, when the focus was on testing and selecting such species of eucalyptus trees that could adapt well to local growing conditions. UPM’s new forestry research centre in Paysandú, Uruguay, is focused on developing the best possible genetic materials for tree plantations. R&D has a crucial role in supporting operations as the company prepares to more than double its production of eucalyptus pulp. TEXT: TIMO NYKÄNEN PHOTO: UPM entire operation, including harvesting and wood transport,” Methol points out. R&D AFFECTS ENTIRE VALUE CHAIN The new centre employs around 60 people, including EXPERTISE

agronomists, experts in genetic improvement, health, forestry research and wood quality, as well as chemical technologists and operators. High productivity, wood quality and good tolerance to pests and diseases are the current focus areas of the centre’s research work. Methol adds that speeding up the entire process is also a key target. “We are, of course, always looking to make improvements to the characteristics of the trees and increasing the efficiency and accuracy of identifying the best candidate clones is crucial for that. Also, testing new candidates against harsh environmental conditions caused by climate change such as frost and drought has become more important.” Methol reminds us of the fact that, before a tree clone is confirmed for operational use, it takes around 15 years of testing hundreds of candidates, out of which only one or two are selected. This requires a lot of resources for testing, trials and evaluation. The laboratories, equipment and greenhouses of the new research centre provide UPM’s skilled experts with a state-of-the-art infrastructure.

“There are over 500 species in the eucalyptus genus and we chose two of them that provide the best performance – Eucalyptus grandis and E. dunnii – as the main species to be planted in Uruguay. At the time, the dunnii species was not at all well known in Uruguay nor in the pulp industry globally, but now it is the most planted eucalyptus species in the country,” Methol says. Over the decades, UPM has worked on improving the genetic material of the trees to achieve better productivity. An important step was taken in the year 2000 when the company began to propagate its trees from cuttings instead of just from seeds. “This so-called cloning or vegetative propagation enables us to replicate exactly the same genotype of selected trees hundreds of millions of times. It helps to make the plantations more productive and uniform and provides efficiency for the

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PUL P MAT TERS 01/2023