Chile Copec forestry unit to file $725 mln debt shelf

SANTIAGO, April 9 (Reuters) - Chile's Celulosa Arauco, the forestry arm of industrial conglomerate Copec COP.SN, said on Thursday it would file a shelf registration for $725 million worth of bonds, which it will use to refinance debt.

Arauco told Chile's market regulator it had registered two series of bonds worth up to 20 million UF, or inflation-adjusted Chilean peso currency units. One bond carries a 10-year maturity, the other a 30-year maturity.

A string of Chilean companies have turned to corporate debt issues this year to finance debt and investments to give world markets battered by financial crisis and bank lending restrictions a wide berth. (Reporting by Manuel Farias; Editing by Dan Grebler)