NEWS & VIEWS • MARCH 2026 Although E. badjensis looks like E. smithii, it has a lower wood density and pulp yield (Table 1). Vessel loads are contracted in tonnes, but mill production depends on the quantity of usable wood material delivered. When lower-density species are included in loads intended to be pure, the effective wood material per shipment decreases. A load containing contamination with E. badjensis therefore delivers less E. smithii-equivalent material than expected. This reduces transport efficiency and may require additional vessels to meet supply targets, or results in lower-thanplanned production at the mill. Similar considerations apply to black wattle and silver wattle, which are sometimes inadvertently or deliberately mixed. These species differ in wood density and fibre characteristics. When loads intended to be pure are mixed, the effective wood material delivered per tonne changes. As with Eucalyptus, this reduces transport efficiency and can result in under-delivery against contracted volumes. In addition to transport implications, mixed species loads affect downstream processing. While mills are generally capable of handling mixed chip streams, the proportion of different species is critical for optimizing processing conditions. Variations in wood density, fibre characteristics and chemical composition influence chip packing, pulping efficiency and final product yield. Ensuring species purity, or at minimum controlling species composition within defined limits, is therefore important for maintaining predictable and efficient processing performance.
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