Genetic correlations between pulpwood and solid-wood selection and objective traits in Eucalyptus globulus

• If selective breeding is to be successful, significant genetic variation must be present in the traits targeted for improvement (i.e. “objective traits”). • This study aimed to quantify genetic variation in Eucalyptus globulus pulpwood and sawn-timber objective traits (rotation-age whole-tree volume, survival, whole-tree basic density, sawn-board Janka hardness and sawn-board internal checking) and estimate additive genetic correlations between these and inexpensively-assessed “selection traits”. • Significant genetic variation was identified in all objective traits at the subrace and/or family within subrace level. • Selection-age diameter at breast height (1.3 m, DBH) was strongly genetically correlated with rotation-age volume (0.78) and survival (0.82). Subrace and additive genetic correlations of selectionage Pilodyn penetration with rotation-age 12-×-12-mm-sample basic density (−0.70 and −0.75 respectively) and whole-tree basic density (−0.83 and −0.91 respectively) were also strong. • No significant subrace or additive genetic correlation between wood-sample gross shrinkage and sawn-board internal checking was detected. However, subrace and additive genetic correlations of sawn-board Janka hardness with Pilodyn penetration (−0.75 and −0.58 respectively) and sample gross shrinkage (−0.77 and −0.73 respectively) were significantly different from zero. • These findings suggest that genetic improvement of the examined objective traits is possible through selective breeding, although none of the assessed selection traits were strongly correlated with internal checking.