Experiences in Field Assessment of Kraft Pulp Yield in Plantation Eucalypts, 2009 TAPPI Engineering, Pulping, Environmental Conference

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The determination of whole tree Kraft pulp yield (KPY) traditionally requires destructive tree sampling by taking discs at various tree heights, chipping the discs and then performing lab-based pulping on the bulk chip sample. Considerable effort has been extended in the last 10-15 years to develop near infrared (NIR) calibrations that enable the prediction of KPY on a range of sample types (chips, increment cores, ground wood) in order to minimise the cost and slow throughput of laboratory pulping. The ultimate aim would be to use field-portable NIR systems to predict KPY in the field. This paper describes recent field trials of portable systems and provides a comparison with laboratory-based NIR performance.