Martin,

Subsequent to my last e-mail I discovered an additional detail which may possibly clarify why ENCE prefers to purchase the Chilean E. globulus species to the Brazilian species for pulp production.  It would appear that the E. globulus species holds up better than the various Brazilian species during the refining process.  While most papermakers generally don't refine hardwoods and softwoods with the same equipment, many smaller European mills are unable to afford the capital investment of a second refiner and accordingly do use a single refiner for all grades.  This is particularly true of the Italian mills.  Since hardwoods cannot withstand the rigorous refining required for softwoods without losing their papermaking characteristics (opacity, etc.), these papermakers need to utilize the hardwood species best suited for this type of processing.  Accordingly, the globulus species (which is also the predominant species in the Iberian peninsula) holds up much better under this type of heavy refining than any other species of eucalyptus.

In any case, I hope this helps shed additional light on this issue, and, as always, please feel free to revert with any questions you might have.  Thanks.

Karen