PNGAF MAG # 9B-5B4H9 of 30th Nov 2022 Eminent TPNG Forester Neville Howcroft OBE 1965-2017

AUSTRALIAN FORESTERS in PAPUA NEW GUINEA 1922-1975

PNGAF MAGAZINE ISSUE # 9B-5B4H9 of 30th Nov 2022

FOREST MANAGEMENT.

Editor R B McCarthy 2022.

A constant factor in PNG’s forest tree plantation development program from 1965 through to the current day, has been Neville Howcroft OBE who must be given special recognition for his professionalism and relentless devotion to forest tree plantation development in PNG.2

Neville Howcroft at presentation of final Balsa Project ITTO meeting Japan with Dick McCarthy PNGFIA & Diki Kari NFS. Photo credit N Howcroft

Da signature pipe and gun (for collecting seed as eucalypts, kauri etc). Photo credit Howcroft collection.

L-R Bob Thistlethwaite, Neville Howcroft, and Dick McCarthy. Neville Howcroft with his signature pipe getting ready to say something for the recorder Legume Field Day Bulolo 21/2/1974. Photo credit John Davidson.

NAME Neville Howcroft OBE YEAR 1938 to Present

JOINED DEPT OF FORESTRY PNG 1st October 1965 OCCUPATION

Senior Technical Research Officer Forest Consultant University Lecturer

Bulolo/Wau/UNITECH Lae, EHP, WHP, Enga, NG, Central, Western Province, Lae FRI, Sepik, Irian Jaya, Milne Bay, New Britain. Rabaul, Vudal, UNRE. WHAT DATE DID

WORK LOCALITIES

Home away from home. Bulolo golf club. R-L Neville Howcroft; Director FRI Dr Prem Srivastava; Dr Hywell Roberts; Japanese Visitor; John Mukiu; Japanese Visitor.

Photo credit Nev Howcroft.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREAMBLE page 5

EARLY LIFE NEVILLE HOWCROFT

page 6

HOWCROFT’S INTRODUCTION TO PNG page 7

Forestry HQ Konedobu page 7

Forestry administration considerations, policy, and principles page 7

Land use, land care: a dilemma for conservation page 8

Getting to know the environment page 9

The forests I would be concentrating on page 9 Districts with allocated silviculture research page 10

Getting to know the forestry development strategy page 12

Other important functions that were established or to be developed page 12

Introduction to the fire hazard and need for forest protection page 13 he importance of fire, culturally and environmentally page 14

HOWCROFT’S INTRODUCTION TO WORK ZONES AND DUTIES page 16

My Early Responsibilities Bulolo to the Highlands page 19

My responsibilities: New Guinea Islands, Madang, and Central Provinces page 18

My responsibilities Central and Madang page 19

Summary page 19

OVERVIEW OF PAST AND FUTURE

RESEARCH

WORK ACTIVITIES page 20

Introduction page 20

Araucaria cunninghamii & A. hunsteinii page 22

Early Silviculture Research with PNG Hoop Pine (pre-1965) page 22

Nursery Production of Araucaria page 23

Seed Supplies page 24

Diversification Nursery Operations/Seed Supplies page 25

Araucaria Tree Improvement; Seed Production/Genetic Resources page 26

Araucaria Research and Development 1965 to the end of 1975 page 27

The Araucaria Provenance Seed Collections, Trials, etc page.28

Seed Tree Selection Standards page 29 Hoop and Klinkii Pine Clone Banks and Orchards page 29 Progeny Testing Hoop and Klinkii Seed tree Ortets page 34

A Hoop Pine page 30

B Klinkii Pine page 30 Geshes Seed orchard page 31

Araucaria Provenance Exploration, Seed Collection and Research page 34

The Beginning Tree Species Provenances, Seed Collections page 34

Indigenous Araucaria Stands page 34 Diversifying Provenance Research and Seed Production page 36 – Kamarere and Overseas Joint collections.

Continuation of Araucaria Silviculture Research to the end of 1975 page 37

Medium Term Research Natural Regn.by Entomology page 37

Long term Research Enrichment Silviculture page 38 Cut Over Natural Stands page 38

Pinus underplanting with Araucaria species page 38

Araucaria hunsteinii Klinkii page 39

Araucaria cunninghamii Hoop page 49

Introduction to Agathis salisbury Page 57

Taxonomic Research, Exploration/Conservation of Agathis page 58

Working Towards Future Conservation and Domestication page 58

Introduction to Exotic Pinus spp. Research and Development Work in PNG page 59

My Introduction to the Pinus Project in PNG page 59

Genesis - the reasons why page 60

Pinus Research Achievements as at 1965/66 page 61

Preparing for Future Expansion page 23

Tree Breeding and establishing Seed Production Areas for Pinus page 62

Bulolo Pinus Seed Production Areas & First Controlled Pollinations page 64

A Pioneer Pinus merkusii work page 65

B Pinus caribaea at Bulolo page 65

C Other Pinus Species of Interest page 65

Associated Silvicultural Research with Pinus page 66

Mycorrhiza Nursery Research page 66

Field Research Boron page 67 Management and Utilisation page 67 Research into Companion Inter cropping: Agroforestry page 67

Eucalyptus spp. and Tectona grandis page 75

Abstract page 75

Eucalyptus spp. Page 75

Why Use Exotic Eucalyptus species? Page 76

Trial of New Species/ investigations other indigenous Euc species page 76

Indigenous Commercial Species - E Deglupta page 76

Some of the Irian Jaya E deglupta Seed Collection Results page 77

Concluding the Account of our input into PNG E deglupta page 77

Extent /Scope of Seed Collection and Sampling page 77

Insect Pests of Note page 78

Conservation Issues page 78

Tectona grandis (Teak) page 79 Preamble page 79

The demand for Teak seed – Establishing the Source page 79

Improving the genetic quality page 79 Why spend money on a teak tree breeding program? page 80

Securing the future of teak in PNG page 81

Agro Forestry Research Activities page 83

Legumes Field day Bulolo 21st February 2004 page 32 Leucaena diversifolia page 87

Balsa Project ENB page 88

PNG Forest Education page 91

REFLECTIONS - THE PAPUA NEW GUINEA EXPERIENCE page 92

Comments on Development evolving from this period page 92

Notes on Publication and Capacity Building page 93

Sharing the Forest Technology to Industry and Academia page 94 Silviculture and Diversity to Agriculture Sectors of Vudal Uni page 94 Diversity in curriculum and to Rural Farming Communities page 94 Taim blong Malalo na Pulim Win page 95

ACROYNMS page 98

EARLY SILVICULTURE, FORESTRY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN PNG UP TO INDEPENDANCE in 1975 by Neville H.S. Howcroft OBE.

Preamble

This document has been drafted over and over several times.

It is based on documented information, copiesofsuchthatIhavesalvagedovertime,exchange of memory aids between myself and colleagues, both expatriate and indigenous who have served with me in the time covered here and since, with regret some of whom have passed on.

For all that, it is also a personal narrative and information.

Unfortunately, I lost the one I liked the best drafted on my computer, of what was considered the final version.

Panic now! Time is the enemy here now, the story must be completed, the story must be told, truth is essential for accuracy, nothing must be missed. The feeling was like that I would expect of a person who has been left high and dry by a receding of the sea caused by a tectonic up lift. You know by anecdotal accounts that it’s going to reverse (but when, and how fast?), don’t stop, run like mad for high ground and hope to hell that you leave nothing and no one behind!!!

I hope I have not left anything behind, because not only was this an important period for me but equally so in the history of Papua New Guinea’s development. The year 1975 was an important time of change and development, for what is now known as the Papua New Guinea Forest Authority.

Te following account of my Papua New Guinea experience was meant to cut off at Independence in 1975. I deliberately overlapped to demonstrate that past 1975 there has been continued evolution of development in PNG Forestry

EARLY LIFE – NEVILLE HOWCROFT

I was born Neville Henry Simco Howcroft in Queensland Australia on the 30th of September 1938. Post WW2, I moved around the state with my parents.

Ireceived my education in Queensland, from schools at Bundaberg, Bowen, Proserpine, Airlie, Hamilton Island (by correspondence and developing further there my love for natural history, forests, orchids, insects, in fact flora and fauna in general), then to Thornborough College, in Charters Towers and finally at the Technical College Mackay.

At Mackay, I was interviewed for employment in The Queensland Forestry Department, securing a position as a trainee in forestry survey and assessment. I was based at Byfield plantation located in the coastal Yeppoon area in the Rockhampton region. This work experience took me into the central inland eucalypt forest resources near Theodore and Taroom. Other duties included research trials, establishment of species and yield plots measures, general plantation establishment and forest management.

I enrolled at the School of HTE (Queensland University), for part time studies in Agricultural Sciencesubjects,ScienceinPlantlife,Sciencein AnimalLife,ScienceofSoilsandofGrowing Agricultural crops, gaining passes and certificates in these subjects.

I trained further in forestry at Byfield for approximately 3 years. I was then promoted to the Forestry Research and Tree Breeding section, at Beerwah and Beerburrum for 6-8 weeks further training and practical work experience at Beerwah and Beerburrum. This covered plantation silviculture and tree breeding and seed production The next 7 years, I continued at Byfield in the Forestry Research section, undertaking species investigations and trials with Pinus and seed tree selection, vegetative reproduction, clonal orchard development, breeding and progeny trials which included the production and testing of hybrids.

Goodbye Australian orchids.

Photo credit Dick McCarthy.

Welcome to PNG orchid land.

Spathoglottis bulbosa Schltr Kui Morobe Province. Photo credit N Howcroft.

Dendrobium finisterreae Schltr Morobe province. Photo credit N Howcroft.

HOWCROFT’S INTRODUCTION TO PNG

At the time of compiling this report it is now around 58 years and 8 months since I arrived in Papua New Guinea landing at Jacksons Airport, Port Moresby in the afternoon of the 1st of October 1965. My story and report if you like, embraces a period between then to the end of 1975.

Forestry HQ Konedobu A journey of a thousand leagues begins with one step.

This was the beginning of the first 10 years and 2 months of the total of 52 years of my life and yearsofinvolvement with Forest Research andDevelopment. It was to learn about thepurpose, the policy, the strategies, as well as the people who I would work with and be part of the implementation; It was important to learn, from grass roots to my peers, to communicate, This was an important period for me.

My flight was a late afternoon flight from Cairns, I was delivered to the Papua Hotel where I was met by the chief of the Division of Silviculture and Research, Mr Kevin White. Because my arrival was late, Kevin had decided to billet me at his house for the night and have dinner at the Kone Club and on the following day book me into Ranaguri Barracks, a transit hostel for public servants. This hostel is located close to the Forestry headquarters Two things I can remember, was the way friendly forestry staff tried to drown me in a long line of beers whilst enjoying the company at the Konedobu club, the second was the magnificent flowering specimen of a Dendrobium lasianthera, better known as the famous Sepik Blue Orchid, at the foot of my bed at K. J. White’s Donga in the morning.

Kevin had received some information that I was interested in New Guinea Orchids. After we had a short breakfast at Kevin’s prepared by Kevin’s domestic staff of one man, we travelled to work in his Volkswagen Beetle.

MystayatthePNGforest operationalheadquartersatKonedobuwasforaround2weeksbefore flying to Bulolo to take up my posting. My stay at Konedobu was to introduce me to staff and the Departments various divisional operations, achievements, as well as the files, filing system and file section and library. There were trips to Brown River to the teak plantations and nursery and planting preparations as well as trips down the highway towards Gaba Gaba and Boera to look at another teak planting trial and an advanced age lowland forest and vine scrub to be felled commercially. A tourist trip past Rouna Falls to Sogeri and the area allocated for a National Park encompassing Varirata, all of which showed me some landscape and vegetation diversity that included savannah woodland with Eucalyptus species and Acacia auriculiformis.

This trip provided me with a valuable overview and impressions of some of the PNG Forestry Department Headquarters administrative responsibilities, as well as a small section of their national objectives. Its structure contained a Forest Products Division, an impressive mapping and printing section to support its operations of resources assessment, logging operations, a large filing section and a library. The logging areas visited were Mt Lawes, Brown River to Kuriva and in the opposite direction, towards Milne Bay from of Port Moresby, to the Boera plantation development east of Port Moresby.

Forestry administration considerations, policy, and principles.

Before we advance onto the main part it is important the reader gets the feel of the Papua New Guinea situation.as there were many things that had to be considered. E.g., What will be or are the impediments to forestry developments we expect to encounter?

We expect land tenure problems and customs. We knew land shortages would exist, for the rural areas, are diverse in size, population, culture, and history. Land must be apportioned with agricultural pursuits. This is often at the expense of forest development. Usually, land was gazetted by the Lands Department where it was stated that land by the Lands Department assessment was “Suitable for Agricultural or forestry development.” Often forestry would have its application accepted then lost on appeal. The other fly in the ointment in land is the misunderstanding of the land vacancy, as it may be declared “waste and vacant and therefore may be suitable only for agriculture and forestry development.”

However, there were cases where the land may have been disputed and fought over, and to restore peace in the region, declared off limits, for a long time, to traditional garden, hunting or village development, by agreement between clan elders. I often encountered situations like this in extension development work, initially in the Bulolo, Wau and Watut and Highlands region but also in both coastal and islands regions.

It pays to learn, understand, and respect, both customs and politics of land. Without this understanding, extension services in land use and that some ingrained habits such as slash and burn should become a thing of the past. This meant changes in thinking in both the Agriculture and Forestry Departments. There are instances where I encountered open opposition by expatriate agriculture officers in the Highlands using local landowners to lay claim to land being used by Forestry claimed through the Gazette system. To dig in on the forestry position I called on Kiap help. It worked. We still had to return some sections back to the Lands Department to have it re-allocated to the hands of Education so that schools could be established and agriculture. In our case we had to look at grazing animals other than pigs on land we were able to retain. I must add here that in those days both forestry and agricultural extension services were highly active. They played a particularly important active role in positive development in many parts of Papua New Guinea and its islands.

Land use, land care: a dilemma for conservation

New Guinea is considered to have the richest biota of the tropical Pacific. It has been subjected to continental changes climatically and biogeographically. This has served as a major source for another pacific biota. PNG is bounded by oceans, and biology including human presence. New Guinea is inescapably linked with other countries of the Indo Pacific region. It is ecologically and biogeographically resource rich. It has been subject to extensive scientific exploration, investigations, and collections (Jared Diamond 1984, also refer CSIRO, G. Keig et al 2019).

Land use changes here are subject globally to national and international governance, development, and land diversity. This then leaves us to determine what are we going to grow. We find agriculture wanting the same land as forestry. People must have land to produce food and they need forest goods and services.

Deforestation is usually not an issue until after the event. In foreign countries, this has been a long-term issue. Where the resource is abundant in their own countries, there is little incentive to ensure continuity and sustainability of land and forest from these foreign companies that commercial harvest the forest without respect and care.

In the past, forest removal without natural regeneration replacement was not uncommon in New Guinea. These days, removal for any type of development it is now a labour-saving exercisewith aslash andburnmentality, forrural communitiesandwherethedamage out strips recovery of the relic soil and beneficial vegetation. Balancing both Forestry and Agriculture,

Research and Development are a continuing issue, even though both disciplines acknowledge (and teach) the need for the practice of land care and the careful utilization of land. and protection of the biosphere in perpetuity.

The major components of legislation enabled the administration to:

• purchase timber rights from the traditional landowners, allocate permits and licences to harvest forest produce, and to collect royalties for the sale of forest produce

• to dedicate permanent forest on administratively owned land and to manage permanent forest.

Land for food and land resources for financial sustenance are the objectives of the rural population. It came as no surprise when conservation was proposed by me, that it was challenged thus, by a head of a responsible department in that period: “Conservation for whom and why; people need land to have food to survive?”

This happened before we started talking about climate change, which we were only just beginning to realize that something serious was happening, and that we were part of it. This willbenotedinmystory onforestrysilviculturetechniquesastheywerestartingtobemodified to address many issues. Conservation was once in the hands of agriculture but now, with forestry becoming a science and an expanding industry, the responsibility for the application of conservation had to be shared with agriculture if it was going to achieve anything.

Asafootnotetotheabove:theCommonwealthScientificandIndustrialResearchOrganization (CSIRO) had conducted fourteen integrated land resources surveys, in what was then known as the Territory of Papua New Guinea, to identify areas suitable for accelerated development. (see CSIRO, G. Kleig et al 2019). Much of this was for agricultural development.

Getting to know the environment

The period, from October and into Christmas 1965, proved to be a busy and informative period of introduction for me. It encompassed involvement in firefighting and a resource survey trip to the Lake Trist area located between Wau and coast near Kui and Fly Islands. This survey led by Mr. Rex Grattidge was supported by helicopters which dropped supplies and survey staff off at the mountain, where we camped under the canvas at over 2.000 metres. Wau Forestry office was the base camp for the mountain resources survey. The inventory team was comprised of PNG officers from Forest HQ and some locals.

Therainforest(upperMontane)wasjustthat,aforestthatseemed,nightandday,oftencovered in cloud. Imagine, waking up to find the panoramic view comprised of islands jutting out of a white sea of swirling mist and cloud. Everything was dripping wet, the only other element that was common to this environment was the evenings of almost continuous singing of the cicadas of that zone. We were lifted out early as the weather was expected to enclose the area in longer thanwehadsuppliestosustainus.Theforestwasmagnificentandtheflorathatweencountered strange and beautiful to a newcomer like me. But I left knowing of the efforts made to assess species and estimated volumes of commercial species in such areas. At the same time meeting village women who subsisted there by hunting and fishing for eels along the mountain streams and living in huts enclosed against rain and the winds by using Libocedrus papuana (at that time called Papuacedrus) wood and bark to build their houses. They were almost permanent for their shelter. Finally, I met more Forestry College staff whom I was to spend more time with these forestry students later during field practicals and demonstrations.

The forests I would be concentrating on

I was aware that I would not be working in these montane rain forests during my time with the PNG Forestry Service. I had no idea at all as to how long I would be kept in the service. That my trial period had been waived after a few weeks suggested that I might be kept on so I had better find out what the vegetation types I could be expected to deal with.

Lane-Poole gave a simplified version of the forest diversity in his reports of 1925 and 1927, which considering what is now known and described is not surprising.

When I flew to Port Moresby my first reaction was that I had not left Australia. There were coastal and estuary mangroves savannah coastal and hill side forests, monsoon rainforests patches and mountain rain forests.as well as the surprisingly vast areas of grasslands at low and high altitudes. Later I was to learn that was not all of it was like this as I was introduced to the regional vegetation classifications and composition and by their altitudinal ranges.

Much of my information was to come from the Forestry College lecturers, my colleagues at Bulolo and from the Lae Herbarium. There were six botanical authorities who produced vegetation classifications that we referred to. Starting with 1925 up to 1976: these were: LanePoole (1925), Brass (1959), Clunie (still in Press at the time), Johns (1972), Walker (1973), Paijmans (1976), Johns again (1976).

The Papua New Guinea vegetation classification can be arranged into four altitudinal zones or regions which are as follows: 1, Lowlands Tropical. 2. Sub-Tropical. 3.Temperate. 4.SubAntartic. (Johns 1977). He recognised a total of 12 vegetative systems compared to Lane Poole who described 8, Clunie gave 11, the others ranged between 8 and 9. (for more details see Paijmans and R.J. Johns, 1977)

Very broadly, from these on the mainland of Papua New Guinea, I would be dealing with three regions These would be (1). lowland tropical with gallery rain forest and well as open Eucalyptus savannah grasslands of the central region, and the open savannah of the Markham/Ramu river plains and lowland hills and ridges with anthropogenic grasslands. (2) Bulolo tropical low land to montane forests and anthropogenic grassland in the Bulolo Wau and Watut regions. (3). Eastern and Western Highlands Upper Montane forests and anthropogenic grasslands.

For the New Guinea Islands, it seemed that the main interest would be for that time of our developmentintheEast andWest NewBritainforestrydevelopment with Eucalyptus deglupta (Kamarere) and Tectona grandis (Teak) At that time little concern was shown for any grasslands most of which was anthropogenic and likely to be converted to Agricultural crops.

Districts with allocated silviculture research

Therewereno provinces pre-independencefully establishedas theyareto today. Instead, these were referred to as Districts in pre-independence time. Those that had a district forestry officer with staff looked after extension forestry activities supported by a district nursery or a scattered collection of village nurseries, with staff trained locally by forestry, or by the forestry college. Extension forestry was carried out very effectively in densely populated areas as noted in my visitstotheHighlanddistricts.Ourresearchworkwasassistedbydistrictassistantfieldofficers often based on site.

The development, of the forestry services in Papua New Guinea, was based on the establishment by the Administration, of its acquisition of land in what are now key provincial areas, and where needed, District forestry offices and Central nurseries, could be established. Their development was to establish district (Provincial) forestry services for monitoring of commercial logging operations, large and small. In many instances, Provinces had large areas

of land and were provided with productive extensions services to villages. These forestry offices also provided capacity building for local and field staff who in turn were the back bone of local assistance and logistical services to support villages and research projects, forest extension nurseries as well as species introduction trials, by providing planting and assistance in maintenanceas well as monitoring ongrowth andperformance.Theseofficersandstaffwere expected to provide protection, and to negotiate for land and timber resources. It should be noted here that here the trees which grew on land used for testing were regarded the day as the property of the landowners.

The development of Forestry in Papua New Guinea started pre-1927. The key recommendation was by Mr. Lane -Poole to the Australian Administration which provided the basis for its Foundation as described by J.B. McAdam on “Forestry in New Guinea” (McAdam,1952). These are also contained under “Forestry” in the “Encyclopaedia of Papua New Guinea.” The stages reached, when I arrived at Bulolo, were seen to be as follows in the Table below:

Table Field Research Areas

District location End use

West. Highlands Tamben Sirunki Laiagam, Hagen Species trials, lumber, fuel Pinus patula SSO, supply PNG

Type of plantings

Grassland rehabilitation Amenity, Seed Orchard

East. Highlands Goroka region –Kainantu region Community plantation lapegu Pinus

Marafunga species trials Euc. Nori Kori species mixed

As above Rehab.Mid montane sp, trial. Pilot trials Morobe Umi R. Pinus, Euc terete. Some teak and extension. Diversification options

Pilot trials grass land rehabilitation Markham grasslands Oomsis Pilot rehab. Anisip, ext, Teak for seed. Commercial interplanting.

Mixed broadleaf and hardwood. reforest Station. Management. Mumeng Pilot trials, and extension Mixed Pinus, Casuarina Euc, Teak others. Demo. Bulolo Comm. Plywood Araucaria pltns Pinus, E, deglupta, others as Pilot plantations and seed sources, Progeny trials SSO, Clonal Seed orchards for National supplies

Araucaria. Commercial plywood Prov.Trials. Kamarere seed for wood chip plantation, seed sources of araucaria, Acacia, andotherSpp. and Silvi. Research., Wau As above and Extension. National Park conservation Commercial and extension Madang Gogol Kamarere Plantation establishment later Acacia Commercial and species and provenance trials

New Guinea General Brown River. Keravat ENB Teak Plantations; Mahogany, Provenance, Progeny, species trial Seed Production Teak.

Clonal orchards prov. And Prog,

Note: Nearly all areas had pilot plantings and research trials. Some research plots were still in the hands of agriculture. For example, Aiyura research station near Kainantu. Many main coastal areas had Broad leaf species trials.

Getting to know the forestry development strategy.

In the short time I had arrived at Bulolo and talking to staff it was becoming obvious that there were many species and projects that I seemed to be involved with. There was a range of jobs that I was likely to be asked to do under the broad title of silviculture. The range of species I was going to be asked to work with would beyond those I knew so well. There appeared to be something out of place in some of the second oldest plantations that I had to deal with e.g., contour planting and close spacing.

I needed to know the history and the nuts and bolts of the system I was expected to work within if I was going to train staff to work with me. It was becoming evident that someone much earlier had been experimenting and had also made a mess of marking for retention for high pruning. This was a worry because there was already talk of the mill wanting to do test peeling with thinnings from what I could see there was not much.

The development of Forestry in PNG had obviously already started pre-1927, but the recommendations of Lane-Poole provided the basis for its foundation as described by J.B. McAdam in his paper on “Forestry in New Guinea” (MacAdam,1952). Also, this is contained under the section “Forestry “in the “Encyclopaedia of Papua New Guinea.” The stages of development outlined there in, were being implemented when I arrived at Bulolo, but there were a few silvicultural treatments to be sorted out before a larger problem occurred.

The strategy to establish the forestry development was as follows:

1. Administration to be established concurrent with acquisition of land in key provincial districts (later provinces).

2. Where needed establish district offices and central nurseries to provide seedling trees for foundation plantation plantations, village extension services and research. Trees were mainly for commercial lumber and fuel wood as well as for nurse shade trees for agricultural crops as well as for amenity plantings for erosion control site amelioration and for food productions such as nuts, fruit and later as honey flora.

3. Monitoring commercial forest harvesting, and milling

4. Logistical services to support extension services to villages.

5. Forestry officers to provide capacity building to villagers and field staff

6. Apply silvicultural management to District plantations and to research plantings as required.

Other important functions that were established or to be developed, following the above were:

7. Seed Acquisition: local (Acacia, Araucaria, Eucalyptus, and other provenances as required), Exotic (Acacia, Balsa, Eucalyptus, Mahogany, Teak, and other germ plasm provenances as required.) Seed collections over a wide range for indigenous species, processing, documentation, and storage. Import and export, sales, exchange, or research.

8. Short Term Research and Development: a) Nursery techniques and operations b) For commercial and extension purposes.

c) Agro or multipurpose Forestry: Confined to Town and amenity plantings and nurse crops for cocoa and coffee in agriculture (Later to be expanded in the period of this report).

9. Long Term Research;(a) District (now provincial) Arboretum and species trials. (b) Provenance trial (Teak and Kamarere). (C) Progeny trials (Teak). (d) Seed Production areas (Teak and Kamarere). (e)Seed tree selections and grafting (Teak, Kamarere). (f) Clonal seed orchards (Teak, Kamarere)

10. Forestry Education. (Bulolo Forestry College and at Lae University of technology) The Objectives concurrent with all the above were to educate and train students to establish and manage a nationwide forestry service forest and academic institution system capable of maintaining the sustainability, development, and conservation, of its national natural forest diversity and plantation forest resources and service, in perpetuity. The University of Technology Forestry Department came into being around 1975 under Dr. John Davidson as head of that department. It was non-existent at the time I arrived at Bulolo.

Introduction to the Fire Hazard and Need for Forest Protection.

Fireis verymuch partofthePNGenvironment and lightingfires wouldappearto be very much a traditional past time. Throughout I was to find fire was a serious inhibitor to progress. It has always been a tool to ancient peoples through to these times of entering the modern world but needed to be controlled without which it was a widespread social headache to forestry development, research, and forest as well as Biosphere conservation. It was in this first month ofminethat theBuloloandWau forestry plantations experiencedtheirfirst forest fire. It started on the 22nd of October 1965. We spotted it while Mr. Bert Gloynes was showing me around the Golden Pines area. A single tall plume of white smoke rising from a plantation which had a labour line working tending Hoop pine, exactly where that smoke should not have been. according to Bert. We found the plantation well alight on the spot where the labour line was working. This fire was to extend into November/December of 1965.

Forestry mustered all the labour line it could get in a short time and we split into fire control parties. My party cut and hoed a clear break along the top of the ridge near where it was started, but below us someone decided to add a back burn except the wind was blowing strong in our direction which was the wrong way, so I had my face scorched and eyebrows burnt.

During this time, the Company Plywood mill had shut down and added men to our group of fire fighters. I managed to convey to my crew to bolt down the opposite side of the ridge, away from the fire and blinding smoke to travel up to the access road at the top. We all had runny noses and eyes by this time and my command of pidgin English was horrible. and making it a bit difficult for me to communicate when it was needed in a hurry Only the Boss boy decided to hang on and no amount of yelling and waving would make him move. I was separated from in him in the fire and smoke, so I joined the rest of the party at the road above. Eventually we were joined by the boss boy who was most unhappy that I had left him behind. He had buried himself under a log and fire passed over him. That was eventually sorted out. My ability to communicate needed to improve. I cannot recall how much plantation was lost but it was substantial. What we learnt here was that, where bamboo grew around and sloping fire breaks were made, that fires were difficult to control. Bamboo exploded like ordinance and its burning leaves carried fire long distance and the fire dived under our breaks and just burnt underground amongst dry root peat and the boulders of accumulated dried material and by passed us. It was everyone is first experience with el Nino and the dry condition of the environment. In the 1972 fires which started in Wau, we met with an added hazard of exploding ammunition lost in the bush from WWII. Many of us thought it was bamboo burning. That is another story. The main

lesson learn was that first forest fires are a serious problem in New Guinea and that we were not well equipped to fight such fires, very few of us had forest fire fighting experience. The importance of fire in New Guinea will be noted in our story further below. The importance of Fire, culturally and environmentally

Bulolo’s forest industry based on the magnificent natural stands of Hoop Pine (Araucaria cunninghamii) and Klinkii Pine (Araucaria huntsteinii). Both species were being replanted to ensure the resource would provide peeler logs for the mill in perpetuity. The replanting operations followed the clear fall of all the mature Araucaria in the permit area and other species of commercial size and value. Clearing residual vegetation, road, and access tracts. Green break areas (with retention of most commercial species here) were retained and proved valuable for future seed collections of Araucaria seed and that of other species. The planned plantation compartments had the residual non- commercial size tree felled and the areas burnt and pegged forplanting. This was usuallyplantedtokeepaheadofgrass andweedcompetition, but often some control and planting row clearing was still required At that time, the preference being placed on replanting more Hoop than klinkii. To many visitors, this today is surprising because klinkii usually grows into a larger and straighter tree and more plywood peel with longer fibres than hoop. Structurally Klinkii wood is stronger than hoop. The choice is influencedbytheamount ofeffort,time,andcostto keepthepeelerbladessharpenedcompared to those used for Hoop.

Despite this Klinkii is still cut and processed, but Hoop Pine remains the species planted the most, difference in rate of replacement should be a concern. There is little doubt the days to find forest giants of klinkii pine are near finished, but for conservation purposes alone the planting of the species is important but to succeed it will be most important that they are kept free of fire. Klinkii is notorious for producing volumes of litter of branches and leaves and thus creates its own funeral pyre.

Like many other parts of Papua New Guinea, there are large expanses of moderate to very precipitous grasslands country Over the years Papua New Guinea has evolved, the grasslands developed into large areas, and we are told they are mostly anthropogenically caused and maintained by manmade fires. Where forest areas have been cleared for farming.

Fires are a traditional tool in New Guinea. In grassy mountains and fields, tracks are deliberately burnt to get rid of poisonous snakes, but they are also used to indicate the location and progress of returning hunting or gardening parties. Fires are used to hunt birds and animals and generally villagers know how to use it. There are cases in the highlands where a clan will use fire to get rid of a neighbour where the grassland fuel is high and the wind is driving in the right direction, A wildfire may also be unintentionally damaging if left untended. Where unemployment is high in a district and there is a large influx of people seeking employment, illegal gardening increases in green breaks and in forests near habitation becomes a concern. Bulolo was a good example Slash and burn agriculture were and still is an important activity, and a problem when clearing of remnant forest post logging for tree planting on the cleared land, this offers areas for illegal cultivation of crops (and more fires). The green breaks were also seen as easy access to arable land for slash and burn gardens (and more fires); unfortunately, this was undesirable and not good during the El Nino season. It was also noted, that of the two Araucaria, the klinkii pine inherently created much more fuel under its canopy, thus creating its own funeral pyre, as previously mentioned above. The old branch knots embedded in the mature trunks were much sought after as fuel wood as they contained much resin embedded in the wood. I am not certain if this also applies to Hoop pine.

Fire is an important issue when considering conservation and protection measures for forests planted and natural stands. It proved to be a problem in extension and in conducting research and development work as has been noted over years of travelling through New Guinea, and while this is a social problem, there are also natural causes too such as the El Nino influence and lightning strikes as well as spontaneous combustible root peat. By about 1927 fire damage was noted in mountain regions by visiting foresters and were attributed to hunter- gathers type people in the area, but they believed the sites could be restored to useful forests using recommended fire tolerant species. These recommendations were being followed by the colonial developers, the English, Germans and now the Australians. Among the trees recommended were Pinus species and Tectona. The choice of the Araucaria and even Agathis and their silviculture were influenced by the Australian and New Zealand experience and not recommended except to reforestation, while the others (at the beginning) were to be mainly of rehabilitation type activities. Thus, to get the most suitable species (and provenances), The current and future trials evolved. But somewhere along our way we seemed to have left ourselves poorly prepared to combat fire. It does not always rain every day or night in New Guinea to keep the fire hazard to a minimum. Far from it.!!

Grasslands are widely occurring from coast to the high mountains, generally regarded as Anthropogenic and maintained by manmade fires, and sometimes by nature Such areas were regarded as suitable for fire resistant species among which were recommended Eucalyptus, Pinus and Tectona Pinus species trials were evident in the Wau, Bulolo, as well as the Mumeng valley chain, and throughout the accessible parts of the highlands. In the Bulolo/Wau and Watut region. Anecdotally the villages there tell of huge fires in the ancient days (taim bilong Tabuna) that turned the night sky into day, destroying vast forests. This may explain the fossilized burnt stumps and logs I came across in the compartments in the Watut region while supervising plantings and following new access roads in the compartments. Some fossilized logs were from exceptionally large trees. Semi fossilized charcoal was found also in large amounts in the Castanopsis forest surrounding the Manki range site, at around 1,500 metres above sea level, near the old Watut village site. That may have been a residue from one of these fires, but also it may have been an old garden site, although the size of the pieces casts some doubt. If they were garden fires should not the pieces be exceedingly small?

Tapini airstrip. The joys of flying in PNG. Photo Credit Neville Howcroft 1972.

HOWCROFT’S INTRODUCTION TO DEFINING HIS WORK ZONES AND DUTIES

After settling in to my Bulolo accommodation, shared with an old PNG hand, Mr. Frank Sullivan, best known just as” Sully,” I spent time work alongside several other interesting expatriates. In the Nursery and with the seed shed store, there was Mr. Ted. Collis: in the plantation and during plantation establishment, there was Mr. Bert Gloynes: for seed collection I spent short periods with Mr. John Thompson. In the pine plantations on research trials establishment and periodic assessments with the main person whom I came to regard as my boss, Mr. John Smith. Other people, who at first were my peers when I started were: the OIC of Bulolo, Mr. John Godlee; at the Forestry college Mr. Leon Clifford who, along with Mr. John Thompson, had started the pioneer foundation work to establish the Araucaria tree improvement and seed orchards establishment programs at Bulolo. took me through their clone banks and their gene pools of hoop and of Klinkii pines. Just at this stage there were no such programs for Pinus. Mr. Leon Clifford also taught silviculture and other forest related subjects. Mr. John Thompson was Leon’s right-hand man doing and supervising Araucaria seed tree selection, and grafting, seed orchard establishment, as well as supervising climbing for seed cone collections. He assisted Leon in field training as well and both were helped by Mr, Loi Hau, a student and an understudy to Mr. Clifford and Thompson. Another two members of the expatriate college lecturers were engaged in Forest Botany, these were Mr. Heinar Streimann and Mr. Andrew Gillison. Others, that were to join later as new staff, were Mr. Robert Johns (now deceased), and Mr. Alistair Hay. I was to join the college ranks later to lecture and demonstrate silviculture systems, seed tree selection grafting and seed orchard establishment, management, and control pollination. As the college progressed, national forestry college and UPNG graduates commenced to take their place as lectures in the College academic ranks. Mr, Robyn Angus was still the principal and left not long after I arrived with his position taken over by Leon Clifford becoming A/principal and with Mr. John Godlee being the last expatriate and handing over to Mr. Siagi Kalogo, who then became the first national principal to administer at the college. The first and founding principal was Mr. Joe Havel who later developed the college textbook on Forest Botany (Havel 1975). (still in use.)

My Early Responsibilities Bulolo to the Highlands

Here in this part, I refer to my first jobs as my early responsibilities because very rapidly my work was to take on new dimensions. For the species I had the Pinus work with John Smith. This involved managing the established trials and plantation in the Districts that he or someone else had established as well as establish new ones. Araucaria silviculture Yield and growth plots and hoop pine thinning trials at Bulolo and Aiyura in the Eastern Highlands, All the species trials in the Morobe province which encompassed all plantings from Bulolo to Lae bordering the main road as well as the Markham to as far as Umi River (later I had to extend to Madang area to include other species).

The highlands could be access by sealed and dirt roads and by air from Bulolo via Lae. The road trip to Kainantu by road was an interesting but tiring drive which, at that time, took nearly a full day from Bulolo. There were a few short stops at trial plots along the Markham highway, especially at Umi River, and again at the junction of the Ramu highlands road. From there it was a careful drive up the steep winding road to Kassam pass which was the gate way to the highlands. From there we advance to Yonki where a dam was to be established to supply a hydroelectric power station, From here the road was first sealed during that project; from the Kassam Pass, Forestry had planted a number of Pines species trial plots up to Kainantu. Here a large extension nursery was established not far from the town Market. Over a small mountain (hill) was another important establishment, the Aiyura Agriculture coffee research station, and thevastNoriKoriswampland.Thiswaslaterdrainedandusedbothbyagricultureandforestry.

Research plots were established around here, at Buna bura and as far as Suwaira. Beyond that was Okapa, which at that time was a “fight Zone,” because of the tribal war in the district there it was out of bounds to unauthorized people. But, on occasions for seed collections of Hoop it was used by Bulolo forestry. The network of arterial river streams in this area were the home of scattered Kauri pine (Agathis) and hoop pine as well. The Okapa people were remarkable climbers when it came to collecting Hoop cones for seed from a large natural stand there. It was used during periods of poor seed crops by Bulolo according to John Thompson who led the Bulolo, seed collectors there as well.

The Pinus work extended through the Eastern Highlands from Kainantu to Goroka and then into the Western Highlands to Mt Hagen and at that time through to Wapanamunda, Wabag and Laiagam. By this time, we were including Australian Eucalyptus on our work list with the indigenous Casuarina oligodon a multipurpose tree species. A special place for species trialling was just outside of Goroka not far from the Daulo Pass at a place called Marafunga where a mill was operating on harvesting Nothofagus and Oak forest taking out Libocedrus and Lithocarpus, and other broad leaf species. A beautiful high cold forest of mists and rain and the home of one of the ribbon tailed bird of paradise. Here Forestry had established several species of Pinus and a large selection of southern Australian Eucalyptus species. Here I was to discover a new species of large weevil defoliating Pinus patula. This potential pest was later named after me as Gymnopholus howcrofti. Gressitt. Despite this I do like Pinus species. During this trip I had my second close look at an upper montane forest since arriving in PNG. It was the habitat of many beautiful genera of orchids, gingers, ferns, and Rhododendron as well as Nothofagus species; flora and fauna- wise its diversity as a biological paradise, but it was cold and wet environmentto work in. Towork herewehadto sleep as guests oftheMilling Fraternity because of the conditions of the roads. The nice thing about this place was its large fireplace and early morning calls of the birds, the Ribbon Tailed Bird of Paradise. Highly valued for its spectacularly long trailing tails used in ceremonial headdresses.

John Smith introduced me to all the Pine species trials at Lapegu and to the further most compartment plantings at that time. I introduced John to a “dead” electric pig deterrent pig fence that was not, and I beat him to the top of the ridge a bit of a feat. Many of the plantations were more in the nature of pilot plantations, but the first were planted from the top peak of the ridge downwards because the compartment was so steep, and adjacent the local landowners’ village with an ante pig electric fence. Village pigs were a nuisance and caused damage to young, plantedtrees. Theplanting stockweredelivered byhelicopterto theto crest oftheridge. The country was a system of very steep mountain ridges and there was talk of introducing high wire logging extraction methods, but it never came to pass in my time. This visit to the highlands extended to the Western Highlands during which I met Mr. Allen Ross who oversaw the highlands districts and assisted by Mr. John Lowein. Allen operated out of Goroka, and John Lowien operated out of Mt Hagen and Kagamuga office. John was largely responsible for the establishment of Amenity plantings in the townships in the district and I suspect that being from West Australia he was also responsible for many of the Western Australia Eucalyptus species and Melaleuca species encountered from Laiagam back to Mt Hagen and probably in other areas as well. Two of John’s pet planting areas were in the large Kagamuga nursery and an Arboretum on Forestry Ground near the district Agriculture research station HAES and training Institution of HATI. John also had an area near the town centre that he called his “Sunken Gardens.” It sported some old Nothofagus trees where one could observe flowering and seed production and low enough to collect the seed, Hagen at the time had nice ornamental tree and shrub plantings, as did Goroka but I think it had more flora diversity which made it just that more attractive; but overall, the highlands people really had colourful village flower gardens and more pleasant to the eye than many Morobe village gardens. The climate was also

compatible to exotic flowering plants such as Roses, Dahlia, Lupins, Hollyhock as well as others like Gerberas and Columbine. Wild indigenous additions were Rhododendron and the much-loved Impatiens hawkeri, often with variegated leaves and exceptionally large colourful flowers of which there are many varieties.

The towns and villages were planted with a wide variety of genera of tree species such as the Australian and New Guinea Eucalyptus, the New Guinea Araucaria were conspicuous among the array of tall trees as were other Conifereae such as Southern and Central American Pinus and exotic Cyprus. Throughout the highland’s areas the most frequently encountered tree had to be the two common members of the Casuarina family Casuarina oligodon and the Gymnostona papuana. In some areas the Tasmania black wattle had been introduced.

From memory our last stop was at Lake Sirunki between Wabag, and Laiagam This area was to be our choice for a seedling seed orchard of Pinus patula at a later date but for the present we were looking here at establishing Eucalyptus plantations for fuel wood and a large species trial of different species of Southern and Central American Pinus and our Araucaria cumminghamii.

My responsibilities: New Guinea Islands, Madang, and Central Provinces

After my introductions to the highlands my next visit was to Rabaul and Keravat. Here I had to measure all the species trial plot along the Vudal section of the road to Kairak (Vudal), and along the road through the Keravat forestry plantations to the Keravat Corrective Centre or Calaboose here we conducted annual measures of the teak plantation growth and yield plots Papua New Guinea’s second clonal teak seed orchards was located here at little Vudal Plantation. The Plantation was comprised of the largest Kamarere (Eucalyptus deglupta) plantation at this time and the second largest PNG Forestry teak plantation after the Central district plantation outside Port Moresby. Annual and periodic measures included extension plantings of Kamarere at the Keravat National High school; all Balsa (Ochroma lagopus = O, pyramidalis) plantings. Natural regeneration of cut over Keravat forest, planted Terminalia brassii as well as Octomeles sumatrana, Intsia bijuga and other natural regeneration Terminalia species.

Measuring all these trials plus new yield plots, initially took me up to six weeks to complete. I was informed by Mr, Eric Hammermaster that it would take 3 weeks. But apart from the fact that my plot tree current annual increments were far greater than any tree girth measure I had ever encountered many had to be rechecked to confirm the increment; the daily rain fall that started around 11. 30 put an end to measures early every day, and the field sheets had to be hung out like washing to dry under cover every afternoon. These sheets were returned at the end of the field trip with a completed report to Port Moresby. The damp weather persisted only on the weekdays but not the week ends. Nobody wanted to work weekends; it was time to dry clothes but also to accept invitations to visit homes and see the sights of Rabaul. No one at HQ complained. They had been through this too. I learnt a lot about teak and Kamarere plots as well as checking the health and condition of balsa when they shrink in girth from the previous measure. Usually this is due to stress from insect attack or because they were dying or dead. With Kamarere our biggest problem was dealing with the shift of the top of the buttress up the tree trunk with new growth making previous years point of measure no longer useful. Thus, requiring two measures and a change of point of measure for the second one and getting higher up the trunk. Fortunately, I had two assistant field officers to assist me find the plot the first Man was Tinga who was a bit handicapped having lost an eye, the second man was from Bougainville, his name was Alikana Towolongo. They were invaluable and assisted most other visitors as well.

Central and Madang

My trips to the Central District were mainly to measure Growth and Yield plots or establish new ones in the teak plantations. Progeny and provenance trial had to be remeasured as well, also I was expected to select and measure any new Candidate Teak seed trees and to later to regraft failed planting stations in the Mt. Lawes with either Mr. Clement Sevese or with Mr. Kipling Kamit. Both trained and invaluable when grafting teak seed trees. Clement later transfer to my section to graft hoop and Klinkii as well Pinus. at Bulolo.

The Madang trips did not really start until the wood chip project started. In many cases it was not necessary to visit Madang once new staff took up their post there. This saved time and money that it would cost to have me move periodically from one District to another. Some of this work was done by Mr. Jeff Fairlamb both in the Central and East New Britain Districts in the establishing some of the teak progeny and provenance trials of teak and in the Madang Provincewith otherspecies. It shouldbenotedherethatseed from ourclonalKamarereorchard established at Bulolo under Dr John Davidson planning and direction, was intended to support the JANT Wood chip industry plantation at Madang. Later the Japanese decided to include and expand wood chip based on Acacia mangium. We had also trials comparing Acacia auriculiformis whichso fartherehadprovedto be bettersuitedto wet sites anddid not produce trees with large pipes as occurred frequently with Acacia mangium Despite this evidence the Company insisted on using A. mangium. Both had good suitable density and fibre length.

Summary

Bulolo was to my base and initially the species for me to at least start with were Araucaria cunninghamii and hunsteinii, The Pinus species there were many of them. With Pinus caribaea var hondurensis, var caribaea and var bahamensis from Bulolo to Goroka. Pinus patula at that time for Goroka, Pinus strobus var, chiapensis was possible at Wau and at Goroka and Mt Hagen and Pinus kesiya, P. merkusii var Aceh at Bulolo and Goroka.

Brown River, Keravat, Dami and Madang would be stations I would be dealing with Tectona grandis (Teak) and Keravat in East New Britain also for Kamarere as well as the Gogol. In these sites there would be areas to deal with other mixed species.

Silvicultural needs were basically nursery techniques upgrade as required. Thinning and pruning trials for Araucaria and Pinus were required. Plantation growth measures and performance observations in most areas. Volume tables were need for most species destined for commercial plantations.

Treeseed suppliesandimprovedseedsources from seedtreeselections whichultimatelymeant Araucaria, Eucalyptus Pinus, and Teak.Therewould beaneed to tryprogenytrial sincesome of these are longer term, I was not sure I would get approval to start.

OVERVIEW OF PAST AND FUTURE RESEARCH WORK ACTIVITIES

Introduction

This part provides an overview of the research work carried out before I arrived and from there on during the period from 1965 to the end of 1975. It very broadly covers the introduction of both indigenous and the exotic tree species.

The earliest plantation plantings appear to be for the Wau plantation area in 1940/41 in Compartment 1 Andersons plantation.

Australian hoop was compared with local provenance and several Pinus species were introduced in 1940 by J B McAdam and tried at Wau and possibly Kainantu and Alyura. These included P. elliottii; P. taeda and P Kesiya. It is believed that they were introduced with mycorrhiza to inoculate the soil to help the exotic pines to establish themselves. It was noted that Cupressus lusitancia or C, macrocarpa was also tried.

By the time Howcroft arrive little of these first plantings were left due to theravages of fighting between Japanese and Australian soldiers during World War 2.

Bulolo plantings started with the planting pf local hoop pine in Compartment 1 Station logging area in 1948. Other evidence of early research work in the Bulolo Area was the trial establishment of Hoop pine by contour planting at close spacing and spacing and pruning trials of hoop in Sawmill Creek plantation and an attempt to select and high prune to produce clear wood ply grade logs in the Cpt 1 Station logging area. These earliest attempts at silvicultural management were to cause me considerable heart ache in my first few years of plantation management and staff training. Both silvicultural techniques for hoop (and later klinkii) and for the exotic pines ere very much influenced by those techniques used for Queensland Hoop Pine (that clearly grew slower in PNG and not as fast as the Bulolo provenance, as observed in the earlier trials). The exotic pine establishment and management were modelled along those used in some of Australian/New Zealand/South African and Rhodesian plantations.

The following also covers the broad leaf hardwoods such as Eucalypt and teak. The first two chosen on my arrival were Tectonia grandis and Eucalyptus deglupta (a fast-growing species indigenous to New Guinea, Indonesia, and the Philippines). Other broad leaf species as Acacia auriculiformis and A. mangium were tried. Other eucalypts trialled for fuel wood plantations in the Highlands included E robusta; E saligna and E grandis.

Whilst Papua New Guinea had many desirable indigenous commercial timber species, it was admitted that at the time little was known about their silviculture to take them onto large scale commercial plantations. This may be why hoop pine started off the Bulolo commercial plantations instead of klinkii pine which grew to a much greater and straighter height than hoop, while after the 1940 plantings, Pinus patula, Pinus caribaea and Pinus kesiya were the earlier choices out of many others for the grassland afforestation.

For seed, including many Australian commercial species of Eucalyptus, they were initially supplied from the Australiana and New Zealand Forest Services. The Forest and Timber Bureau in Yarralumla in Canberra, now the Australian National Tree Seed Centre. Seed of Pinus also came from the Philippines, Indonesia, South Africa, and Rhodesia, as well as from Holland seed dealers and other countries engaged with Papua New Guinea for seed through purchase and exchange. Other countries were reluctant to trade in seed as they were of as much valuable to the country of origin with their own commercial needs, to part with potentially their best genetic material. A good example was Tectonia grandis and Ochroma lagopus.

As might be expected, the seed batches were often not of good genetic quality and low viability (e.g.,P. patulaand P.merkusii)orthebatches were too smallandofteninsufficient forreplicate species trials such as with P. merkusii from Indonesia. Further, the availability of good provenance collections was only just becoming available, and the PNG forest Service was not able to access these. Good seed was expensive. So, for both exotic and indigenous seed it was important that PNG became self-sufficient to satisfy its growing needs for seed of the best species and their provenances It was natural to embark on a seed tree section and genetic and genetic improvement for the Araucaria, the best Pinus species and for its Eucalyptus species. There was a glaring need for clonal and seeding seed orchards as well as seed production areas of both exotic and indigenous species. With regards to obtaining exotics with good potential, there was often the problem of receiving them with correct botanical identity. Sometimes over a period, the identity of our good performing batches was altered. Perhaps a good example of this was within the Pinus oocarpa group; Pinus tecunumanni; then Pinus strobus to Pinus chiapensis and Pinus pseudostrobus, P douglasiana; P michoacana and so it goes and makes species and provenance testing and reintroduction difficult for serious pilot trails and commercial introduction.

Forestry by the seventies, had begun to look at multipurpose tree species for food and timber and nurse crops, nitrogen fixation and pulp wood. Other interests included ornate wood properties and oils. This coincided with growing interest in Agroforestry and farm forestry in the drive for rural diversification. These subjects will be dealt with further, as they were included for self-sufficiency in the seed supplies program of different species. In this case, the work was also of some benefit to the Agricultural department of PNG.

Araucaria cunninghamii & A. hunsteinii

Of the two above mentioned species, The A Cunninghamii (Hoop Pine) is by far the most widespread in Australia as var. cunninghamii form northern New South Wales to Far North Queensland and then from the south western end of Papua New Guinea it extends to the top of Western Papua as var, becarrii. Hoop is placed in the section Eutacta (for further reading refer Gray 1973; Howcroft 1976/77 & 1978a; Nikles and Newton 1983 and Wilcox 2002 & 2009). Over their range in both countries, the trees of this species generally (superficially) look much the same, but with a closer and more critical observation, differences may be discerned. In provenances there are differences in juvenile and adult morphology as well as adaptability to local climatic conditions and there seems a lot to support that they display considerable genetic variability, within and between provenances in each country. At least for the New Guinea provenances, I believe further taxonomic revision may be required. I recall a conversation between myself and Prof. David De Laubenfels commenting on the Southern Highlands Hoop being so gracile and foliage so soft compared to samples of the other provenances at Bulolo in a trial that it could be considered another species. At the time, my only thought was that this should be considered after we see and grow more samples from the Highlands regions. Those collected from the then Dutch New Guinea regions described by Otto Warberg accompanied by botanical illustrations were coarser and the cones much more robust in their sed scales.

Theseed extraction andnurserytechniqueswere thesame as used in forestry in Australia.They are described in Department of Forests Bulletin No 1Silvivultural Techniques in Papua New Guinea Forest Plantations compiled by K J White and A E Cameron of the Division of Silviculture. In those days, seed were sown under slats or sarlon shade, root wrenched and established by side approach tubing in rolled metal tubes that were clipped fast by a two opposite folds. Later we introduced pregermination and dibbling active seed into plastic tubes of soil that were lighter to carry to the field dispensing completely with metal tubes. Open rooted planting was risky and dependent upon the hardening off seedling root systems, a good planting hole and firming of seedlings at planting. The key to good survival was heavy follow up rains. The survival was rarely as good as trees with good root cores. Keeping that core of soil with active roots was of paramount importance. So, timing planting and well grown planting stock was of paramount importance.

Araucaria hunsteinii known as klinkii grows taller than hoop. It was once thought there were three species; A hunsteinii; A schumanniana; and A klinkii. At the time I arrived, there was only one recognised in the Daga Valley by the Department. However, on later seed collections, I and my team of seed collectors established there was a glaucous form in the Waria Valley, and this extended down to the Daga Valley in Milne Bay at Agaun. This entity fitted the description of Araucaria klinkii with Waria Valley and the Garaina village being the holotype. This will be covered in more detail later.

Early Silviculture Research with PNG Hoop Pine (pre-1965).

The oldest plantings of Bulolo Hoop pine were established in 1948 at the forest office and nursery. The research station was established later comprising three buildings; Entomology; Plant pathology and silviculture. Later expansions after 1975 included the National Tree Seed Centre and extension to the Bulolo Forest Station seed store.

As I began to work in the plantations to start selection for thinning to waste and retention for pruning and merchantable thinning, I found that already Station and Sawmill Creek compartments had been subject to these experimentally as had some species trials. In Station 1A, the best stem formed hoop pine trees high pruned for rotary veneer were no longer dominant. High pruning had left them stunted. Those that had been ground pruned dominated

the final crop stems of peeler grade. The whole compartment would not reach commercial size if we pruned them again. This was a disaster. (The oldest plantings were established at row width 10 feet by 8 feet between trees giving a stocking of 545 stems per acre.)

It was apparent some thinning had been undertaken. The under-storey vegetation included members of the ginger family (e.g., Tapeinochilos), and a mixture of secondary and primary regrowth. The only reason given was that past treatment s encouraged infestation by a giant pine weevil called Vanapa oberthuri. Pouill. That was attracted to the white sap flow from injury of stems during pruning. I was later to assist our entomologist Mr Barry ’Richard when he arrived to officially run the Bulolo research Station. Refer to Gray B and Buchter J 1969; Gray B and Howcroft N 1970; Gray B 1972 Barber I 1974.

Other previous silvicultural trials were encountered in Sawmill Creek and Rifle Range logging areas. These areas were contour planted. Here I tried training my helpers to estimate stocking and thenmarktrees for high pruningas well as thin to waste leaving thebest stems for retention as final crop and pruning for peeler logs.

I loved this work and felt I had been trained by the best tree markers in Queensland. They were artists of perfection in my eyes. Those who can do this work will understand that contour plantings cause much agony for stand treatment. Harvesting methods are also difficult as much stem damage can occur to the base of standing residuals.

Finally, prior to my arrival, long term hoop pine stockings and thinning trails were already established at Bulolo in the Sawmill logging area behind the Forestry College. These were annually remeasured forgrowth, first underthesupervision oftheCollegesilvicultural lecturer, Leon Clifford and later me. Thinning treatments were applied according to an accelerated prescription controlled under my supervision. Sectional measures were made and processed by Forests head office staff including Mr John Luton who handled the analysis of trials along with other staff. These were used to build volume tables. Periodic remeasures and several pruning lifts were undertaken when thinning was applied. The control treatment was thinned according to age schedule and the other accelerated thinning treatment by one step ahead of normal schedule. These indicated we were losing important commercial volume production.

Another trial of hoop pine was established at Aiyura Agricultural Research Station. These plantations were considered the property of the Agricultural research Station but presumably established at a time when forestry was a division of Agriculture. I do not recall any similar trials with Klinkii pine.Aninterestingfeatureof thesetrials was thatthe measurements showed that growth recovery of the trees form pruning did not really recover until the third year after the pruning when the density and depth of the green crown had recovered from the pruning lift. The management that we were using, even though one step ahead of what might have been used in Australia was better. One weakness of the trials design was the isolations were too narrow and as the plantation trees got larger the treatments started to influence the others and this may have created a bias. The Vanapa beetle problem that we could be faced with, based on the earlier thinning, and pruning attacks in Cpt. 1 Station LA was still a potential threat coupled with white ants Coptotermes eliseae. Our system of marking the plantation eventually enabled us to locate and record the location and extent of the presence of these insects in the plantations. Hence treatment could be more easily applied.

Nursery Production of Araucaria

Both species nursery production techniques were similar. However, there were important differences in the seed and seed storage requirements.

Klinkii pine proved to be difficult to store and was very shorth lived compared with the tougher hard coated seed of the Hoop pine. Klinkii seed had a softer seed coat and lost its viability quickly. It was a recalcitrant seed species and its seed storage and nursery requirements not readily understood. Without understanding its requirements, large plantations could not be established. Thus, klinkii plantings lagged those of the hoop pine It unfortunately never caught up with hoop pine expansion despite the many voices of support for it. The man who can be accredited for initially successfully addressing this problem was Mr Joe Havel. From his ground-breaking research and other following him he proposed a research and doctoral program to study the silviculture of Araucaria hunsteinii.

The seed of both species were sown in drills under low and high standing shade. Root wrenching was applied to harden the stock and prepare the seedlings for lifting and side tubing in metal tubes. Later introduction was re germination and dibbling into prepared plastic bags. The standard method is described in the silvicultural techniques in Papua New Guinea forest plantation Bulletin No 1 by the Division of Silviculture.

Planting stocking was increased to 3 x 3 metres. This reduced the need for unmerchantable thinning. There was still a reluctance to thin to waste because that may cause an increase in major hoop pine pests as white ants and the hoop pine weevil.

Later, a market was found for producing chop sticks using the smaller waste material but then this sawmill was destroyed by fire, Later the market for kit homes utilised plantation thinnings.

Seed Supplies

Hoop and Klinkii seed are in high demand. Each year’s flowering and cone production was a worry because if fluctuated seasonally and there were good years and there were bad years. The good years came in a cycle of once every 4 to 5 years. Some provenance locations were better than others.

The earliest collections appear to have been local Bulolo and Wau collections. The first two compartments were from the large natural stands of the McAdam National Park. (gazetted in early 1960’s).

In 1961 the forest department recorded collections from Bulolo, Wau, Woitape and Okapa. For 1962, 1963, and 1964, collections were made from Bulolo, Wau and Okapa. Seed collection figures show that the Bulolo cone collections were lower than those from Okapa:

• E.g., 1962, 3,900 vs 13,000 lbs dwgt

• 1963, 2787 vs 25,000 lbs dwgt.

In 1964, the situation changed with Bulolo and Wau collectively producing 4,864 vs 2349 lbs dwgt from Okapa. These figures suggest that there were seasonal differences in each year in the Bulolo sources. This meant short falls in viable seed and volumes. The department then had to source form other accessible large natural stands. Collections had to be sufficient to carry the Department over the next one to two years.

UnliketheQueenslandForestService,PNGthendidnotcarryout crownsampleoftheviability of the coming seed collection crop nor laboratory estimated viability count of conelets seed scales to the present flowering which would be the next seed crop in 24 months’ time. This sampling technique was based on the number of viable stained pollen tubes counted on each scale viewed under the microscope. I found the technique could be used on Klinkii, but it was pricklier than hoop. PNG just continued relying on visual observations on standing trees of the

pollen crop and a crown count of cones large enough to be ready for the current year’s collection and the second-year collections.

Maturation of individual cone crops are influenced by their location. The lower altitude stands mature first. The maturing starts in late September to early November.

Seed collection was the responsibility of Mr John Thompson. The processing and seed storage were the responsibility of Mr Ted Collis. The head of the tree climbers and seed collectors was Mr Cedric Wemin and Mr Celsus Levo. In charge of the nursery was Mr Ahoba Lake and helping at the seed store.

The hoop pine was stored in two of the four large cool rooms of the seed shed at 12-degree C.

The klinkii was found to be markedly short lived under high temperatures. it lost viability very rapidly at a rate of 10 % every week for the first four weeks after which the loss accelerated more. Based on the research studies of the silvicultural techniques of klinkii carried out by Joe Havel in the 1950’s; it was recommended that conditions for successful prolonged storage periods were control of temperature, moisture content of seed and fungal activity. Moist cold storage required the seed be dried at a specific moisture content and then stored in airtight tins. This included wet towel and blotting paper at the bottom and at the top of the seed before sealing the lid. This was then stored at 38 degrees F.

Temperature fluctuations with stored klinkii seed causes loss of viability. When a seed tin is opened it must be sown the same day (Havel 1955). 3

Klinkii seed dispatched for overseas orders were always difficult because of viability. Freshly collectedsedhad to besent and when receivedsown as soon as possible but eventhen, viability was low.

Diversification of Araucaria Nursery Operations and Seed Supplies

Forest Headquarters Port Moresby was the export and import hub of all tree seed and even vegetation propagation material (e.g., Tectona; Eucalyptus; Pinus). It had its own seed store foritemstobeheldintransitandforquarantineinspectionsand fordispatchtooutlyingcentres. Seed records were maintained in Port Moresby.

• Silviculture research required a section of the Bulolo nursery for species other than just Araucaria. Pinus research work included the introduction of mycorrhiza. Leguminous species for introduction of rhizobia.

• Nursery germination beds for hoop and klinkii were adjacent to the seed store above the tubing sheds

• The araucaria standout beds were first provided with adjustable wooden slat shade and later with sarlon shade cloth

• The provenance work section area included hoop wildings form southern highlands; pimga and erave hoop; Morobe Bumbu and Maiama Hoop; eastern highlands; Okapa Hoop; central provenance Woitape Hoop and a specimen from Fergusson Island. Klinkii from Huon Peninsula; New Caledonia Hoop pine; (plantings at Bulolo Golf Course A luxurians). The provenance plantings of hoop pine only produced female flowers in my time, but we collected viable seed from these Since the much more sexually mature adjacent local hoop pine plantations had been producing good crops of mal flowers, we assumed that our younger provenances of hoop pine were hybridised

with these plantation trees which were of Bulolo provenance. These were planted out in trial at the National Seed production area at Bulolo.

• Research into nursery techniques with araucaria concentrated on germination techniques and that successfully we could pre-germinate both species int rays of damp sawdust and dibble out the germinating seed and produce a good seedling.

• Direct sowing was possible with Klinkii as it was easy to judge and use viable seed because the seed coat was thin and able to judge its viability potential.

• Hoop pine had a wood seed coat and unless freshly collected it was hard to judge its potential.

• In all it was considered safer and better to pre-germinate both species.

• Whetherthissystemwas everfullyadoptedIdonotknow.However,theuseofstandard black polythene planting tubes continued.

• Open rooted planting could be done on a limited extent. its success depended on good ground conditions, reliability of heavy rainfall at and after planting and the efficiency of the planter. Without all these conditions in place, the survival of the seedling could not be guaranteed.

Araucaria Tree Improvement; Seed Production and Genetic Resources Conservation

The pioneers of the araucaria tree breeding and seed production program were Mr Leon Cliffordassistedby MrJohnThompson. Muchto theircredit theyhadestablishedseveral clone banks and introduced araucaria patched grafting into PNG form the Queensland Forestry Department Australia. Their responsibility was to create clonal araucaria seed production areas using seed tree ortets selected for a range of important character states used for improvement of wood production and quality. Leon Clifford started the program off as early as 1960 and expanded selection and grafted from natural stands by 1963/64 with John Thompson assisting. Plantation ortet selection started in earnest around 1972. This excellent partnership was progressive.

The added advantage was that John Thompson was responsible for

• the araucaria seed collections

• selection of useful phenotypes experimentally with exceedingly long internodes and multimodal types with more regular fine branches with internodes of approximately 3 m length (those over 6 m length could be unstable) for seed trees.

• To ensure that the seed store was stocked, and the nurseries sufficiently supplied with seed

• Be prepared to work long hours and travel to difficult places to collect seed when the Bulolo stands had low cone production years. (due to good and bad flowering cycles)

Observations of the flowering of hoop and klinkii in the large stands in the Bulolo Valley and surrounds, allowed one to estimateproductionand seedin advance. The established plantations were not expected to produce seed for some time as crucial male flower production took something like 27 years form seedling to be viable. Similarly pollen volume was expected to be variable for some time. Much of the early work and decision making was based on Australian research.

Initially the most significant contribution to PNG was the technology transfer in terms of vegetative propagation of seed trees using patch grafting techniques with material taken from the apical leader of the stem. From these only erect orthotropic grafts could be made to produce ramets that developed into normal replicates of the parent tree (ortet). Leon was concerned about the conservation of the original gene pool and attempted to reproduce adult trees. He had

limited success. The boundaries / limitations of this work will be discussed for the period 1965 to 1975 towards the end of this section.

Up to the time I arrived in Bulolo, the araucaria tree improvement program had learnt a lot, but it was having some problems which must be outlined to appreciate the success and limitations of Clifford’s work.

Staff were trained in Australia. On return they started to practice the new skill of grafting. By 1965 they had established several clone banks of mostly hoop pine grafts and two klinkii pine area. One close to No 1 Station staff accommodation compound and the second at Inakanda LA. For hoop pine a somewhat larger block in the same area as the first klinkii grafting and a larger in Long Island LA. All were grafts made on pre-planted grafting stock meant for commercial plantation.

Problems they faced included

• Insufficient grafting bud wood material

• Low success rates with ramet establishment

• Time to recover from grafting losses to be able to make enough replacement clones to source their budwood material

• Accessible plantation areas

The strategy was to establish several clone banks to build enough representative clones to get the first large clonal orchard. Pressure was placed on the team to sue the 1965/66 hoop pine planting.

The problem here was that the amount of grafting material removed from each ramet by decapitation of the apical leader and the failure to get only one or two successful grafts to survive and grow, meant that it would be two more years before grafting material could be reproduced for use again. This meant that forestry would be needing seed from natural stands for a long time. To me it seemed that any attempt to maintain the genetic integrity of the Bulolo gene pool would be impossible. In the future we would have to seek better genetic material from other provenances. We had not reached the stage yet to just research this avenue of development and genetic resource development. Problems of pollen supply; clone banks; introduction of grafted plagiotrophic branch material onto stock existed.

Araucaria Research and Development from 1965 to the end of 1975

Mr Barry Gray arrived at Bulolo as OIC research and head of the entomological section. He invited me to join Research. I thought I was already in Research Under Mr John Smith re Pinus Grassland afforestation work. Other people came as Dr Franz Arentz and Mr Jack Simpson to start a pathology section and Dr John Davidson in Silviculture.

At this stage, my duties started to diversify. From the plantation species I had teak and with Dr Davidson I became involved with his world of tree breeding Eucalyptus deglupta (Kamarere) so I could not complain about a boring job. With all these people I found my working life rich in diversity, which meant I had other facets of my silviculture life to consider, learn and to help others. Finally, there was the entomology side and that was part of my private life as I collected beetles and butterflies when I was in Australia. As I was to learn, the forest was full of insect pests, a more serious side of entomology as I had already seen with the weevils and white ant Coptotermes elisae on our trees.

Gray’s attention was drawn to:

• the Vanapa beetle.

• Hylurdectonus araucarie – a defoliating scolytid that feeds on young leaves and bark of hoop pine. This was Barry Gray’s work

• Melionaisodoxa–metallicblueblackandredbandedgeometriddayflying mothwhose larvae defoliate foliage of hoop pine trees. This insect (Meliona) was the work of Ross Wylie.

Other research entomologists as Ian Barber; Dr Brendon Peters and others as Loni Merrifield came later. Gray and his team built up an impressive insect collection which finally became part of the FRI in Lae.

Araucaria hunsteinii did not appear to have a wide range of insect pests except for termites. Both species suffered form cut worm and crickets and grasshoppers in the seedling stage and at planting. Sometimes there were rat problems ring barking at the root collar. Fungus in the nurseries were recorded. The forest protection research group dealt with insect and fungus as well as wood rots, of several commercial species.

The Araucaria Provenance Seed Collections, Trials, tree Breeding and Seed Orchards.

This section complements sections 2.2.2.3 and 2.2.2.4 by covering development of research underpinning the tree improvement work and genetic resource capture, domestication, conservation, and continuation of the araucaria seed orchard founded by Leon Clifford and John Thompson.

Around 1968 it was decided to bring me into the araucaria tree breeding program (ref D Kari and N Howcroft Sept 1983). This followed a five-day silvicultural research conference in August 1968 at BFC which examined the progress of current research and future developments in terms of project and staff. Attendees were J Smith; KJ White; A L Cameron; J Davidson; L Clifford and N Howcroft.

• LC and NH dealt with conifer and broad leaf species introduction

• AC, JD; LC on tree breeding teak, kamarere and araucaria

• LC and NH vegetative propagation araucaria and Pinus

Towards the end of 1975, events made me responsible for teak and kamarere projects. At such we did lose parts of the Mt Lawes Teak clonal orchard and nearly two thirds of the Vunapalading clonal teak orchard.

The Bulolo meeting discussed

• research programs; procedure, communications etc

• current progress of silviculture

• techniques for establishment of klinkii and Pinus (Godlee and Smith)

• hoop pine thinning trials

• forest protection - entomology B Gray.

• mycology and pathology – P Wright.

• fire protection J Reilly

The conference paved the way for changes in the research pathways and set new targets, development date lines; concluded or increased the life of current projects; took on board recommended adoption of techniques and new projects and where needed new research staff to berecruited.Treeimprovementand seedorchardestablishment foraraucaria; kamarere; teak

and Pinus were outlined. My duties were adjusted from here on for seed tree and clonal multiplication; provenance trials etc

The araucaria tree breeding work was handed over to me in stages, probably by 1970. Work included clonal seed orchard at Heads Hump. Plantings of hoop at Su Su mountain with great form.

Geshes seedorchardwas establishedas the Bulolonational seed productionareawith advanced hoop and klinkii stock; grafted Pinus caribaea; P Merkusii and other species.

Geshes had been used for farming by Mr Roy Gesch. It had its share of wartime uses as we found out when clearing land for planting the orchard. One of Leon Clifford’s assistants = Loi Hau helped with a team to start clearing. After dropping him and his workers off, he had returned to base by the time we returned. He was most agitated and stuttering “bomb.” Once wegothimtotalkcalmly,hedescribedafirethatburntsomerubbishinapit.Thiswasfollowed by what seemed like rockets exploding and shooting off in all directions plus a sudden appearance of a hissing column of white fire, sparks, and smoke. Everyone took off. When we went back and inspected the spot, we found a couple of small trench mortar bombs. They had built an extremely hot fire over a nest of world war 2 trench mortars still with their cartridges in place in the tail and fins section. There was a screw on the safety cap. Over a round shallow cup that was the detonation pad over the business end of the armed casing which, as an antipersonnel weapon contained lots of ball bearings with explosives and cartridge detonator. A few were smoke screen bombs etc. The shaft of white fire was probably phosphorous. We dumped the remaining explosives in a small lake in rifle range Cpt. 1. Hau was lucky and completed his job without any more bomb problems.

Later in another section we found the wrecked fuselage of an aircraft and its two engines. It was an Avro Anson which had crashed landed after taking off into the flight path of another incoming Avro Anson during the gold mining days. I knew this plane as I had travelled in one form Brisbane to Kingaroy as a child. They used to have wooden laminated props. This one had metal props which we donated to the Bulolo Golf Club. History abounds in Bulolo.

Grafting of both hoop and klinkii were completed after 1975 with a combination of genetic material form Clifford and Thompson’s clones and my own plantation selections. Some of the pollen from near compound 1 was sent to Queensland forestry to produce several Australian x PNG hoop hybrids

(A) Seed Tree Selection Standards

Aim is to capture trees of good stem form and branching, good health and in nature good apical dominance and in plantations growth superiority and dominance

Collected materials for the orchards included

• natural stands hoop pine ortets – 30 of

• natural stands klinkii – 40 from natural stands

• plantations hoop = 75 ortets selected

• plantations klinkii 92 ortets selected

(B) Hoop and Klinkii Pine Clone Banks and Orchards

The total number of hoop clone banks established by 1970 were four.

In 1970 Mr Hau and his team established a hoop pine orchard with 250 grafting stock to easily accommodate some 100 clones. Grafting started in 1973. By 1983 a total of 91 clones had been

successfully established. Approximately 43 stations remained vacant due to death or poor stock. Patch graft scion material come from all the clone banks for specific clones. The records remain with National Tree Seed Centre.

The Klinkii Pine clone banks were three and small. Although the improvement program had less priority than hoop, it should be kept in mind klinkii best assets were stem form and small branch size. Grafting of the klinkii orchard started around the same time as the hoop and the time of grafting became dependant on the diameter size at chest to head high. It had to be of suitable size to fit the klinkii bud wood material.

My predecessors preferred to graft at almost ground level to have a strong well-formed stock and graft compatible diameter for uniform and stable growth so that the ramet would develop into a stable well-formed upright tree. However, klinkii stock had a bad tendency to die when the stock above the successful graft died following decapitation of the stocks ascending leaders to encourage the graft bud wood to initiate new growth. The problem was that the grafting stock did not like so much of its green crown being removed. By grafting higher and leaving active green branches above and below the graft area, the whole grafted stock plant survived. Leon was worried about incompatibility and ramet instability. This did not occur in my time.

We continued with our variation of the technique. Indications that bud wood has grafted successfully to the stock should start to show at 4 weeks after grafting. Decapitation may take place in another two weeks with stump above the graft painted with a wax or tar or paint to seal the wound from rotting. A rain proof antifungal seal can also be made with approved chemicals. Grafting tape may be cut in such a way that it will fall off on its own accord. The grafted wood bud should start to grow upwards by week 12. (for both species).

Seed cone crops started to appear on the tops of crowns of the trees, but male cones were rare for a long time. Fertile seed was also rare. It only seemed to be found after a few good years of pollen production. Hence Natural stands in McAdam park pollinating the hoop orchard and green break klinkii pollinating the klinkii grafts. We grafted a glaucous variety of klinkii from Garaina natural stands (it did produce some fertile seed). Up to 1975, no commercial seed was collected form any of the clone banks.

Progeny Testing Hoop and Klinkii Seed Tree Ortets.

A Hoop Pine

Since the grafted trees remained much too young to bear fertile seed, the quality of our trees couldonlybeevaluatedthroughprogeny trailsusingseedproducedformtheortets.Theearliest would have to come from the earlier hoop selection. Clifford made early attempts to test the progeny of the first seed tree selections, but these were destroyed by fire. Further seed was collected after 1975 to be used for progeny tests planned for 1983 and 1984. These trails to accompany the orchards were urgent. Production of seed representing the local provenances were from the oldest plantations.

B Klinkii Pine

Seed tree seed collections made from local green break marked seed trees were generally easy to collect and stock produced in enough numbers to produce a trial to allow an assessment of the performance of the families. This was not established until after 1978, probably in Taun Creek and treated as a seedling seed orchard. In December 1978, a collection of Garaina seed batches were established using Garaina green klinkii (Pai) and the Garaina grey klinkii (Gerau) as a pilot trial. The first planting was destroyed by rates or crickets girdling the seedlings at ground level. A replacement trail was later established.

GESHES

SEED ORCHARD

An image of Bulolo and surrounds from 29 December 2019, with high density housing taking over the Geshes Rd 51 experimental area. At the top centre of the image is the junction between Rd 51 and the Bulolo - Lae road.

Source John Davidson.

Geshes seed orchard map. Source N Howcroft DOF mapping.

There are three Garaina clones here in the Bulolo clonal orchard Successful capture of 3 mother trees Garaina Klinkii greys.

Photo credit Neville Howcroft.

.

First crop from Garaina klinkii clones recorded.

Photo credit Neville Howcroft.

Araucaria Provenance Exploration, Seed Collection and Research

The Beginning of Tree Species Provenances Seed Collections and Exploration

From 1966 to 1972, an important step was taken by Barry Gray to conduct aerial surveys of the Araucaria natural stands in PNG. The results were published in 1973 (Gray) with additional information on Irian Jaya stands of Agathis and Araucaria by Mr Jack Zieck who worked as a Dutch forestry officer in Indonesia prior to it gaining Independence. His new project started by Gray was a step of some significance to us in PNG and Queensland Forestry Research. It provided more information on the distribution of Araucaria cunninghamii Aiton ex D don (note the names of authors used for hoop had been more recently corrected to Mundie – refer Nikes and Arnold 2018) Also note its PNG varieties Beccarii Warb and papuanana. Klinkii was Araucaria hunsteinii K. schum. there were alterations to Agathis species.

Mysurveysandcollectionsweretoshedmorelightonthelesser-knowndifferentiatingexternal morphological features of the PNG Araucaria and on their performances and ecological preferences of some distinct provenance groups. Our survey was a ground truthing survey of location, size of stands, access, condition to suggest conservation status; allowing some phenology observations on flowering and fruiting to enable a reasonable estimation of time of collections, some of which were made during the surveys.

These surveys eventually lead to the rediscovery of the grey klinkii pine in 1973. Previously named Araucaria klinkii Lauterbach and described as being “griseo-fuscus”) the leaves, flowers are covered with a grey or white powder and underneath this the foliage appears dark green. From the air, the young foliage of the ascending axis of the tree is easily observed as it appears to be eggshell blue. It is a striking provenance now treated as a variety.

In Order of Preference and Availability of Timing and Access for Indigenous Araucaria Stands

Naturally, seed collections depend on when the seasonal flowering takes place for each species and estimated timesfordevelopment to maturity,thespeciesfloweringtimesandconematurity are not synchronous across the country. Rather they will be to some degree dependent on seasonal growing conditions that may not be the same in the Highlands as at Bulolo or the Sarawaket region of the Morobe Province. Prevailing season weather patterns will dictate to your aircraft pilot and you the terms of engagement as will other means of access and time spent on collection. Flowering conditions, 24-27 months before you visit a site to collect may have had a poor year locally. The collection of these observations is useful for planning field visits and research and domestication.

As mentioned, Gray started surveys of the Araucaria from 1966 to 1972. I accompanied him on the last long aerial which took us from Garaina to Popondetta down to Milne Bay. I started my site surveys and first collections for araucaria seed in 1972 with Garaina which took about three weeks after working with Barry Gray. The next trip in 1973, I confirmed the presence of anotherentity ofKlinkii pine(called Gerau)whichIhadspottedpreviously ontheaerial survey with Gray. A large cone collection was made from this new entity as well as the normal green form (Pai). the cone collections required a Twin Otter plus a DC3 aircraft to lift staff, cones, and equipment back to Bulolo for processing and storage.

In all, I was to make some six patrols to evaluate access for visits and collections, size of cone crops, time of collections and to get permission to collect as well as preparation for recruitment of collectors and carriers. According to my reports, the areas I covered were Toma in Oro Province; Modewa in Milne Bay (Mt Nelson area); Agaun; Pimaga, Lake Kutubu; Erave

Southern Highlands; Mane Goima (Chuave) in Eastern/Western Highlands to Bumbu (Finisterres) in Markham/Ramu River areas and back to Kainantu in the eastern Highlands. We found the grey klinkii again at Agaun.

Eucalyptus tereticornis seed collections were made at Toma; with further collections in 1974 and 1975 including coastal Morobe at Mai Ama and Oksapmin Sepik and in 1975 to Irian Jaya.

In 1974, investigating the existence of another stand of klinkii at Agaun Mission near Milne Bay, I found the grey klinkii but this time there were no green forms as we found at Garaina. This stand was under constant pressure by continuous gardening that restricted seedling survival and growth. Only a limited cone crop existed. I by now only had one climber with me as I had sent the rest of our team back to Bulolo to clean the Garaina cone crop. My men had been away from their Bulolo homes and families for over six weeks, and they needed resting

Now we had casualties. My Garaina botanist from the Bulolo Forestry College – Aubetor Kairu, who, unknown to me, before we left Bulolo was taking pills for a sore back muscle pain.

Nauro Basinaro from the Bulolo station, was the victim of a broken bottle. He was our interpreter for the various mission groups in Milne Bay. He could speak Suau; Wedau; Dobu and Motu. His job included engaging some of the village people for help to carry our cargo and collections.

In Milne Bay we investigated the Araucaria cunninghamii on Fergusson Island which was the only island Hoop pine stand in PNG waters. We had to first fly to Gurney then by boat to the island. On another trip we tried to collect Mainland hoop pine but on both accounts the weather defeated us. Fergusson had been hit by a cyclone the year before and that had destroyed the cone crop. The hoop there is called Nimola. One tree which was 5-6 years old and of good form was planted by a visiting anthropologist called Annie

We returned to Samarai and then to Gurney. With Cedric and I, we visited Agaun Mission at the invitation of the Anglican priest Canon Norma Cruttwell (Crutty)to look at the klinkii stands which he declared as endangered. He was a respected botanist with experience with PNG rhododendrons and orchids. His mother and church friends resided with him. The Daga valley where the mission was founded had scattered hoop pine and round 70 klinkii pine scattered in amongst oak forests. According to Cruttwell, the sites had been gardened intensively, the oak cut down and burnt. The scant soils were what they then gardened on. The area was large, but a fallow system was used so that the trees that were cut down were replaced by natural regeneration. There was a lot of broken rock and coarse gravels and heaps of broken pottery. Clay pots were made on the coast and over time traded with mountain people. The klinkii pine were exceptionally large and Cruttwell though they maybe 200 years or more in age.

Climber Cedric said the size of the bole was too big to put a climbing rope or belt around. He needed to get to klinkii with smaller diameter so he could climb them and then get to the lower crown of the larger trees.

We showed Cruttwell how to raise hoop and klinkii from seed salvaged from the ground.

Klinkii pine was not ourmain species. Hoop was our strategy and that was what we were trying to obtain with a good representation of PNG provenances. The one worry we had with klinkii was keeping the seed alive form storage to those countries requesting klinkii. Hoop was much easier to transport.

Some provenances trails for hoop were established.

Several klinkii provenance trials at Bulolo failed due to drought/rodent/insect attack.

One klinkii pine prevenance trial successfully established, had Bulolo hoop against Garaina Pindiu and Jimi valley Klinkii.

I was then transferred to Lae and after Independence to East New Britain. Hence the trial was not measured. I do hope though that my successors consider that such trials are important.

Hoop pine genetic resources are more numerous than for klinkii. Our first trial compared local Bulolo with eastern and southern highlands hoop. The southern highland hoop does not withstand drought.

Provenances formSattlebergrangeoverlooking the Ramu, andMarkham riversperformedwell in dry conditions. The Bumbu provenance had early good form and growth

All this work showed that there need to be more botanical work done on all the provenances of hoop and klinkii.

Diversifying Provenance Research and Seed Production – Kamarere and Overseas Joint collections.

Eucalyptus deglupta was included with Araucaria cunninghamii provenance seed collections for international Provence trials and where possible for broader applications to be used to establish seed production areas which I was able to do from Bulolo.

In June 1975, a joint international team co-ordinated from CSIRO Canberra would make seed collections in Irian Jaya of the above two species. The party consisted of D J Boland FRI Canberra’ Dr John Davidson and N Howcroft PNG Research; Mr J Dali Forest research Institute Bogor; Mr S Hitagaoi Dept of forestry Jayapura Indonesia. Funding was paid form an FAO grant to FRI Canberra. By agreement, any seed collected was shared between Indonesia/PNG/Australia4 .

The E deglupta collections in PNG are detailed below.

The hoop pine collections could only be made in the Arfak Range due to the difficulties in securing a flight into the Kebar Valley. Our parties met at Jayapura and after our credentials were delivered to the Governor, we proceed the following day to Biak. Due to difficulties in securing air transport, our party had to split into two teams. Ours was Mr S Hutagaol and me. On arriving at Manokwari we added several forestry staff.

The main party to collect Kamarere was Boland, Davidson, and Dali. They flew via Nabiri to Enarotali where they enlisted carriers and climbers.

The whole party looked at a 15-year-old planting of hoop and Agathis labillardii at Pariri plantation at Biak. We also saw more plantings at Amban plantation at Manokwari. All the hoop plantings were reputed to come from the Kebar Valley. They were visually different from the PNG provenances in leaf texture, crown shape and branch internode patterns.

I was able to examine botanical collections of Araucaria beccarii Warb which came from near Anggi Lake. The difference here was the distinct top shaped cone core unlike PNG and the

4 Refer report Boland/Davidson/Howcroft (Eucalyptus Deglupta Blume and Araucaria Provenance seed collection in Irian Jaya Indonesia 3-17 June 1975. In Forest genetic resources information 6:3-15 FAO Rome 1977

coarseness of the leaves. A fine stand of Bulolo klinkii had been established at Amban plantation.

To get to the Arfak site, we hired a motorised Prau to travel across the bay to Maroeni Beach. From the camp here, we hiked the following day up the mountain to the hoop pine site. Several trees were climbed by our assistants using climbing irons. I also climbed to evaluate the condition of the flowering and the cone crop. The cones were over mature and fragmented on touch. We collected a small quantity of seed. A very heavy male flowering was occurring. While the 1976 crop looked poor, the 1977 crop looked much more promising giving a collection time of around April May.

In my time in the crown, I was greatly impressed by the view of the Bay. I was curious about theepiphyticgrowthonallthehooppinewhichdisplayeddarkredflowersinabundance.These turned out to be colonies of an orchid Dendrobium bracteosum – a common epiphytic orchid throughout parts of the New Guinea Islands. Another orchid was Dendrobium spectabile = famed for its large yellow flowers of yellow and red blotches and a spectacular contorted re labellum with many red veins. There were also myriads of colourful butterfly species.

Both teams met at Biak. Small amounts of viable seed were taken back to PNG.

Continuation of Araucaria Silviculture Research to the end of 1975

Medium Term research on natural Regeneration by Entomology

At the time Gray started at Bulolo as head of section, there were only two substantial published reports on Araucaria and particularly klinkii.5

Gray noted there was little information on the natural stands and natural regeneration and no measured recordings or associated species. Gray conducted field work to study the and document the size/composition and regeneration of araucaria stands in PNG and their associated species.6 This was followed by studies on ecology and patterns of distribution by Enright.7

Interesting features included –

• PNG hoop taller than Australia (70.8 m to 61 m)

• Klinkii pine range 85.3 to 88.9 m

• PNG hoop had greater dimeter than klinkii (1.74m to 1.53 m)

• Klinkii was more often found at lower elevations

• Little regeneration under larger hoop pine trees

• More regeneration under klinkii large trees

My own observations on natural regeneration of hoop pine found regeneration on spaces created by fallen trees or village walking tracks. In swamp areas at Erave Southern Highlands the hoop grows in wet swamps that dry out for a period. The best germination and regeneration occur in the grass tussocks which form small islands or raised areas created by uprooted trees.

In the Jimi Valley local people gardening close to natural stands were transporting young klinkii natural regeneration seedlings and planting them around their gardens. Hoop pine

5 Havel 1971 and Palmans 1970

6 Gray 1975

7 Enright 1982

regeneration seedlings were shifted by young couples from one partner’s village to another as a symbol of connection.

Long Term Research Enrichment Silviculture, Cut Over Natural Stands

During Gray’s time, a long-term trial took place in the form of enrichment planting in cut over klinkii natural forest in the Divide logging area. It was rick in bird life and bird wing butterflies and Toona surenei (which was sourced for seed/seedlings/cuttings.). although natural regenerationofklinkiiwascommoninthearea,unpublishedreportssayitwasnotassuccessful as plantation established klinkii.

I consider part of the problem was the tunnels created by the workers freeing the regeneration from competition. More work was needed on the amount of light needed for the seedlings.

Short Term Research Trials Pinus Underplanting with Araucaria species

Some work.eg at Lapegu near Goroka, open planted hoop pine was struggling but when over planted with Pinus improved well in health and growth.

Araucaria hunsteinii (Klinkii Pine)

Klinkii is a species of Araucaria native to the mountains of PNG.

Araucaria hunsteinii (Klinkii ) mature leaf detail.Source Wikipedia.

Araucaria hunsteinii (Klinkii) mature trunk detail. .Source Wikipedia. Grey Klinkii cone and male flowers. Source N. Howcroft.

Superb stem of Araucaria hunsteinii green klinkii pine Bulolo. Photo credit Neville Howcroft.

Sawing klinkii log. CNGT Bulolo 1970. Source New Horizons

Klinkii is a very large evergreen tree (the tallest in New Guinea, and the tallest species in its family), growing to 50–80 metres (164–262 ft) tall, exceptionally to 90 metres (295 ft), with a trunk up to 3 metres (10 ft) diameter. The branches are horizontal, produced in whorls of five or six. The leaves are spirally arranged, scale-like or awl-like, 6–12 centimetres (2–5 in) long and 1.5–2 centimetres (5⁄8–3⁄4 in) broad at the base, with a sharp tip; leaves on young trees are shorter (under 9 centimetres (4 in)) and narrower (under 1.5 centimetres (5⁄8 in)). It is usually monoecious with male and female cones on the same tree; the pollen cones are long and slender, up to 20 centimetres (8 in) long and 1 centimetre (3⁄8 in) broad; the seed cones are oval, up to 25 centimetres (10 in) long and 14–16 centimetres (5+1⁄2–6+1⁄4 in) broad. The seed cones disintegrate at maturity to release the numerous 3–4 centimetres (1–1+1⁄2 in) long nut-like seeds.

Photographs from Neville Howcroft’s 2002 Paper presented at the Araucariaceae Symposium Auckland New Zealand March 2002 titled “Genetic Variation, Conservation and Silviculture of Klinkii Pine Araucaria hunsteinii in Papua New Guinea

Note tree climber.

Standing out tubed Klinkii Pine seedlings. Source. DOF 1968 Bulletin # 3. Notes of Wau-Bulolo Forest Activities.

High shade Bulolo nursey tubed Klinkii Pine seedlings. Source DOF 1971 Bulletin # 3. Notes of WauBulolo Forest Activities and New Horizons 1971.

Forest Station Offices /storerooms and nursery stand out beds. Photo credit Barry Gray. Klinkii nursery stand out beds Bulolo. Source PNGAA.

Klinkii Pine Plantation age 15 years. Source. DOF 1968 Bulletin # 3. Notes of Wau-Bulolo Forest Activities.

There are three Garaina clones here in the Bulolo clonal orchard Grey klinkii Cone and male flowers. Male flowers or catkins with ear ripe cone and blue grey leaves stock and hat for scale. Catkins can be longer. Photo credit Neville Howcroft

Little is really known of klinkii pine. Neville Howcroft has shown that there are several different species/varieties.

Two species of klinkii pine out of Garaina. NB Holotype of A klinkii comes from the Garaina area Klinkii vs hunsteinii. Photo credit Neville Howcroft 7/10/21.

Lake Kutubu hoop Kutubu and Pimaga hoop high altitude and heavy rainfall and cloud in this case maybe glaucous very distinct, gracile soft needles. Photo credit Neville Howcroft.

Botanical samples

Garaina 1972 of grey klinkii. Collected by N Howcroft and his seed collection from Garaina stands and identified as Araucaria klinkii. Photo credit Neville Howcroft.

.

McAdam National Park. Wau-Bulolo local seed source.

Photo credit Neville Howcroft.

Natural Forest Stand Bulolo. Hoop pine left and Klinkii right background.

Source. DOF 1971 Bulletin # 3. Notes of Wau-Bulolo Forest Activities.

Grafted hoop pine stony Creek Bulolo. T/A officer Clement Sevese examines cones and receptive female flowers. The Officer in charge was Leon Clifford and then this became the responsibility of Nev Howcroft.

Photo Credit N Howcroft.

Natural Hoop /Klinkii stand Bulolo.

Photo credit Neville Howcroft. Oksapmin hoop good stem form but fire damage. Photo credit Neville Howcroft.

Oksapmin hoop seed collection Howcroft using climbing irons and makeshift safety belt as no other tree climber. 1975.

Photo credit Neville Howcroft.

Use of high-

but usually it’s used for collecting Kamarere seed and other eucalyptus.

Photo credit Neville Howcroft.

When all else fails try sling shot.

Photo credit Neville Howcroft.

Hoop Fri/ FAO research Bumbu Hoop cone collection. Bumbu stand top of kunai Ridge.

Photo credit Neville Howcroft.

Potting hoop pine seedlings Bulolo into tin tubes.

Photo credit Chris Borough 1963.

A climber collecting scion material from the very top of a tall hoop pine (necessary to avoid plagiotropic growth of the subsequent graft.) Photo

Hoop Bulolo provenances Bulolo plantation seed will not necessarily give you seed that is pure Bulolo Provenance origin as such it’s integrity could be lost. This early Rifle Ra planting may be ex Woitape!! Seed trees marked here stem form and growth good.

Photo credit Neville Howcroft

Bulolo Hoop Pine Plantation age 17 years.

Source. DOF 1971 Bulletin # 3. Notes of Wau-Bulolo Forest Activities.

Introduction to Agathis salisbury

The forestry officer in the PNG Forests Department -PNG Forest Products Research Centre Hohola concerned re the protection and commercial exploitation of kauri pine (Agathis salisbury) resources was Jack Zieck. He was formerly a Dutch forestry officer in Irian Jaya during the Dutch Colonial Service Days prior to Indonesian Independence. One of his duties was the development and running of Kauri copal tapping with Agathis stands in then Dutch New Guinea. Much of his work was out of Manokwari. Kauri Pine occurred in large stands throughout Irian Jaya (West Papua). They say 3 species with one near Babo may be a new species and some in the coastal mangrove region. He had extensive experience with minor forest products as resins; copal; aromatic oils, eaglewood; sandalwood; rattans; and tree species.9

I first met Jack in Port Moresby whilst representing the Bulolo Research Section at a meeting with MD Andrew Yauieb and a new Minister of Forests. The MD asked me to look at sandalwood asthenewMinisterwouldliketo restarttheindustryinhiselectorate.Theresource had almost been cut out. I knew little about sandalwood and Neil Brightwell suggested I talk to Jack Zieck. I was then able to inform the meeting all about sandalwood. This led to a lasting friendship with Jack especially with my interest in Kauri Pine from Bulolo/eastern Highlands and Queensland. There was no interest though in conserving Agathis in PNG.

The Minister for Forests changed and there ended the story and work on sandalwood. Back to Kauri – up to the end of 1975, I had taken part in three field trips, two for which were done with Jack Zieck and one with Tim Whitmore and later a visit to look at grafting work with kauri at the CSIRO forest research centre Atherton. This won me the honour of illustrating the kauri pine of Queensland and used in a research paper on the kauri taxonomic revision by the station botanist Bernie Hyland.

Although a valued lumber tree species and useful as a peeler, Zieck saw a window of opportunity to establish Kauri plantations for timber and resin production. My interest was conservation and seed availability.

It was a difficult and dangerous tree for our climbers to collect cones for seed. Three species of Agathis occur in PNG suitable for commercialisation

• Agathis alba? or robusta ssp nesophila Whitmore

• Agathis spathulate de Laub.

• Agathis labillarderiei. Warb

Agathis macrophylla (Lindl) masters. Had been successfully introduced into Bulolo by Tim Whitmore presumably.

At Bulolo, the magnificent giant kauri trees being harvested by Golden Pines sawmill and into the eastern Highlands. Ottley and Ottley was the logging company supplying Golden Pines. The logs had to be cut into sections so they could be hauled to the mill. Their diameter was too large for rotary veneer.

The field trips to collect Agathis seed with Zieck, and photographer Kevin Taylor were:

• Natural stands of Agathis robusta ssp nesophila around Sirinumu Dam site

• Near the head waters of the Sepik river for stands of Agathis labillarderiei.

For the Sepik stands, firstly undertook aerial reconnaissance to locate the stands then walking from Yapsei patrol post to inspect the stand with landowners for size, form, flowering and presence of cones and seed. We shot down some specimens with our rifle, but we restricted the use of the rifle being close to the Indonesian border. Very few cones were available for collection. Jack and his staff demonstrated how the trees should be tapped with objective of stimulating some income for the villagers. This could be sent down the river. Jack’s assistant was Mr Daniel Kadam a former West Papuan. Jack returned to the area to continue the tapping work with Daniel.

Taxonomic Research, Exploration and Conservation of Agathis

Tim Whitmore’s (UK), task was to visit all the kauri stands to complete taxonomic work interrupted by WW2. I accompanied him with Lae botanist – Clunies. From the Golden Pines logging areas, I had collected cones and started seedling production. John Toropoi continued this work and laterNicklasMitarafter1975.Anareaof5hectares was established onthedivide range overlooking the Watut Valley.

Further aerial reconnaissance located other kauri stands but if development did come, they may be over exploited. Kauri does not like fire.

Working Towards Future Conservation and Domestication

The kauri like other members of the araucaria family is threatened by Man’s activities especially land disturbance and fire. The resiniferous nature of the wood whether green or dry makes it highly susceptible to small and large fires. However, in most places we visited kauri stands, the people regarded the trees as the domain of spirits which was some insurance against damage and death by fire. Some villages in East New Britain (Reit and Sinivit Bainings) have planted kauri in their villages and school areas. Many of these domesticated trees are now large enough to bear cones and possibly viable seed. Some NGO’ s have established species trials.

E.g., M Poesi established a trial in 1977/78 with A robusta from Bulolo; Sogeri and Pimga, Hunsteinii Ranges probably A labillarderiei and New Hanover probably A labillarderiei There is much to still learn re Agathis in PNG.

Sogeri Kauri. Agathis robusta subsp. nesophila Whitmore.

Photo credit N Howcroft.

Introduction to Exotic Pine Research and Development Work in PNG

The introduction of the exotic pine genus Pinus L to New Guinea was included among the recommendations for the establishment of forestry and industry for PNG’s development. Records indicate that the first Pinus species were introduced by the late Director J B McAdam in 1940. These included Pinus elliottii var elliottii and Pinus taeda It was thought that the first mycorrhiza came with seedling introductions. These were planted at J B McAdam Park located near Wau.

Thepark was arecreational parkland with alake andawaterrace to supplywaterto the forestry nursery nearby. It had giant red carp and beautiful red and white waterlilies.

Only a few Pinus species survived. They had got through the battles that were fought there during WW 2. This place was close to where the Japanese had penetrated from the coast in their plans to take Port Moresby and then Australia.

Inmy timespent at Bulolo andWau,weoftenfoundordinance,rustedweapons, bits ofuniform and human remains exposed by fires and landslides following those fires. Near Lake Trist was a remarkably intact B17 bomber. At Wau airstrip, there was a bullet riddled tin shed on the airline passenger departure site.

Wau, like Bulolo with its valleys/mountains and rivers, as much history. Added to this history was Forestry’s efforts to establish exotic pines on grassland site as hoop and klinkii were difficult to establish on those sites. This was the forerunner to exotic pines establishment into the Highlands of PNG.

My Introduction to the Pinus Project in PNG

My initial experience with Pinus silviculture (P caribaea & its three varieties; P oocarpa; P tecunumannii; P merkusii; P Kesiya) came from Beerwah; Beerburrum and Byfield in Queensland. Here I learnt the basics of nursery techniques; seedling production; establishment and management; research areas as provenance selection; tree breeding; seed tree selection; controlled breeding; hybridizing; seed orchard establishment; management; seed processing to seed storage and documentation.

My first PNG introduction to exotic pines was in grassland areas at Bulolo; Wau; Mumeng and Watut. The earliest records showed plantings of Pinus on grassland and secondary regrowth areas in 1955/56.

In 1966, I travelled with John Smith to the Highlands Region to insect the forest species trials including Pinus sp. I met Alan Ross; John Lowien; Eric Hammermaster. In travelling up the HighlandsHighway,wevisitedseveralpilotpineplantingareas.TheseIwasexpectedto revisit periodically to establish growth plots; remeasure species line plots and report on the species heath and development.

At Mumeng, trial plots had Pinus and teak clones (cuttings ex Oomsis stands made by forestry students under Leon Clifford and the first in PNG). Oomsis forestry station had a good arboretum of teak; commercial tree species as Anisoptera and Pinus grassland plantings. These plantings extended up to an area overlooking the Markham River bridge.

Near the main road junction to the Highlands after crossing the Markham bridge is a pilot plantation of Terminalia brassii.

Past Nadzab airport to Uni River there are extension plantings of teak; eucalyptus; and P caribaea.

The Umi River stand contains plantings of teak; E tereticornis. P caribaea; P oocarpa These were the responsibility of the regional forestry office. Several other dry land species including a Cassia species were trialled here. The short-gassed level plain was once part of river flood plain of the Markham River which has relocated closer to the Mountain range. The plantation was mainly P caribaea. Later it was used for cultivation of peanuts, corn crops etc.

From the Madang road turnoff, we travelled up the steep winding road of the Kassam pass at an altitude of 1500m. The views of the Markham and Ramu river systems is majestic. At the top of Kassam pass one comes into a region of cool fresh air, mountain forests, mountain grasslands and village gardens.

Kainantu and environs for inspection of nurseries at Kainantu; Aiyura DASF high coffee station’ nurseries and tree species trials; and village nurseries. Kainantu was serviced by DC3 aircraft; Cessna aircraft and twin otters for the missions; medical training centre; coffee plantations and villages

From 1963 to 1964, some 12 blocks were established on traditional lands. By 1966, several blocks had been abandoned. Existing blocks in 1966 included Mantua (b 3); Nori Kori (b 4); Basanumpa (B 5); Bunabura (B6); Suwaira (B8); Arona (B 12). Species included P patula; P caribaea var hondurensis; P Kesiya; P oocarpa; P merkusii; Eucalypt species and amenity plantings as Casuarina oligodona; E grandis; saligna; grandis robusta; torelliana; tereticornis.

Genesis - the reasons why

In the Pinus silvicultural manual compiled by John Smith in 1970; he outlines the importance of the species; the uses of their timbers; their adaptability to high latitude sites; ability to withstand fire and ability to stand variable and infertile soils and soil ph.

Smith noted that Pinus has a low mineral nutrient requirement; are fast growing and perform well in plantations format. In PNG they provide an economic crop and improve grassland sites for later planting of araucaria species.

Species trialled included P merkusii; P caribaea P kesiya; P patula; P oocarpa; P pseudostrobus; P strobus var chiapensis; P ayacahuite; P michoacana Work was undertaken to review Pinus collections in other areas. E.g., Queensland. P pseudostrobus at Aiyura maybe P douglasiana.

Pinus kesiya was another early introduction. I discovered Pinus taeda at the Kainantu Lodge in 1966. This with other pines were presumably relics of McAdam’s early introductions. Boron deficiency and no mycorrhiza are thought to be the reasons for poor performance.

It was probably 10 to 15 years after McAdam’s introductions that further introductions were trialled. 35 to 37 species seed lots were trialled10 throughout PNG. They included the local P merkusii hybrids form Bulolo. However, identifying these Pinus trials were a taxonomic nightmare.

In 1958 and by 1967, serious R & D work was undertaken by J Smith and me. Smith’s work included researching soils; mycorrhiza; nursery techniques and species trials

Issues included:

• Widespread occurrence of boron deficiency in both agricultural and forestry situations

• Lack of genetically quality tree seed sources

• Insufficient diversity for provenance trials

• Lack of good lands for panting

• Lack of experienced research nursery staff

• Trees at establishment not being fertilise with boron.to combat top die back.

Pinus merkusii ex Sumatra variety Aceh in 1969 trialled. It provided viable seed.

Howcroft 1969 proposal approved to establish a seed production program with P carribea; patula; kesiya; merkusii; strobus var chiapensis

Pinus Research Achievements as at 1965/66

Activities for afforestation work and rehabilitation of PNG grassland and secondary regrowth included:

• Site selection by vegetative zones and soil types

• Nursery techniques including mycorrhiza introduction. Trials in Bulolo started by Ms Paddy White

• Fertiliser trials in nursery and infield with boron

• Direct sowing of seed appeared to waste seed. Preference was to raise stock in standout beds and prick out

• Establish species trials from 300 to 1500 m altitude

Species for provenance trialling and clonal and seedling sed orchards included P carribea; patula; kesiya; merkusii; strobus var chiapensis; oocarpa; tecunumannii; oocarpa

Large scale plantings were commenced in the eastern highlands with P kesiya and patula in 1962/63. Good growth exhibited.

P strobus var chiapensis performed well in trails in Bulolo/Wau; Hagen; Mendi from 1963 to 1972.Theearlierintroductionsofsuperbgrowth andformcamefromOxacaCuicatlanMexico. Unfortunately, the good Wau stands were lost to fire.in 1984, an assessment showed that this species had been planted at Lapegu

Further species trials were established in 1964/65 in Eastern Highlands; Morobe – Bulolo and Markham valley; western highlands to Wabag and Laiagam

Extension plantings of pines were observed along the main road from Kainantu to Goroka as well as Eucalypts as saligna and grandis.

Goroka township plantings included Casuarina oligodon (yar); Eucalyptus; Cupressus; Hoop pine and Pinus species. The highlanders are great gardeners of both indigenous and exotic plants. Flowers included impatiens; rhododendrons; roses and vegetables.

At Marafunga sawmill in a Nothofagus montane forest there were species trials of eucalypts and Pinus species – patula; chiapensis; radiata. The sawmill rest house had a large billiard table

High winds affecting some of the pines and eucalypts. Root rot was present – amyllariella. The environs were magnificent with a variety of bird calls including ribbon tail birds of paradise; orchids; ferns; rhododendrons; flowering vines; gingers etc.

I collected a weevil that was defoliating P patula. It was a new species and named after me by Dr Len Gressitt of the Wau Ecology Institute. Climatic conditions here suited P patula to flower and produce viable seed. Preparing for Future Expansion

• Establish species trials at Wabag

• Establish seed orchard for P patula

By1967,selectionofplantationtrees andgrafting workundertakenwithnurserystaffof Bulolo and Goroka.

Mt Hagen John Lowein OIC

• Two small botanic gardens

• Main nursery collection of acacias; callistemon; casuarina; melaleuca; leptospermum; Pinus; WA eucalypts; rhododendrons; orchids; hoop pine; E deglupta

• Main street and garden plantings of various species

Laiagam via Wapanamunda Wabag to Porgera gold mine and Southern Highlands

• New tribe just discovered in Hela district

• The best airfield was at Wapanamunda – take Fokker.DC3 aircraft for plant distribution later

• Lake Sirunki at 2400 m

• Laiagam with land for species trails

• Laiagam had a large prison. The administrator was a dutchman called Nigel Van Ruth. He had a wife and daughter with him. He ruled with an iron fist. He favoured neither national nor expatriate. In my time he put one of his own expat officers into a cell froe leaving the station for a trip to Wabag in his absences and then rolling the vehicle into the pit pit on his return home. He was keen on forestry development in his area. He provided accommodation; labour and tractor to get the seed production area planted.

Tree Breeding and establishing Seed Production Areas for Pinus

On returning to Bulolo there was little time to waste. With approval from Port Moresby and the local forestry office, I commenced training assistants allocated to me to select seed trees in Pinus at Bulolo- P carribea; P. kesiya and P merkusii. These trees were to be cloned by mainly top cleft grafting. In 1967, I trained three nationals, - William Kaumara; Celsus Levo; Ahoba Lake. They also recorded flowering and fruiting of P caribaea and P merkusii.

On leave in Australia, I spent time with Dr Nikles inspected progress of tree breeding and seed production work in Queensland, I secured grafting material of their early good seed trees of P caribaea and P merkusii for grafting work in Bulolo.

The P patula shipment was flown for Wabag but around this time the Wabag airstrip was taken overfortownshipdevelopment.Small aircraft weredivertedto Laiagam airstrip. Main services went to Wapanamunda airstrip which could take the Fokker friendship aircraft.

The P patula shipment was transported to site by the Mount Hagen forestry Isuzu (10 tonne) truck. On arrival at Wabag, I was called to the district office by a policeman and introduced to the District Commissioner. His name was Bell. He made no bones about things. He wanted my truck to support his roadworks from Wabag to Sirunki. I had already arranged to assist the ADC – Van Ruth by swapping for his four-tonne truck and driver. Both the DC and ADC

wanted the large tipper to extend their roads in the area. The ADC needed to repair the road and bridge across the Lagaiap River; The DC wanted to extend from Wabag to the top of the mountain near Lake Sirunki. I arranged the exchange. When back at Laiagam I made a similar arrangement with ADC Van Ruth. Both DC and ADC got two weeks each with the big truck. I also used Van Ruth’s tractor for gravel from his limestone quarry for the access road.

I slept at Laiagam and then Sirunki – very cold at night. Later trips I stayed with patrol officers and an agricultural officer Verne Burley who was very supporting of forestry.

The seedling seed orchard contained a section with open pollinated progeny of 18 of South African parent trees and a second larger section of 12 of Rhodesian parents. Each half sibling family plot of 3 rows of 3 seedlings; all plots located in a replicated and randomly allocated pattern in the source block. Spacing was 3 x 3 metres. The strategy called for the selection of one dominant well-formed tree out of the 9 half sibs. The remainder were culled. On rare occasions, two trees were left out of the 9 half sibs of which a further thinning of the two best remaining trees were made.

Boron applications were made to all trees and pruning was applied as per standard prescription but with some restraint so as not to affect seed production. Ipersonally supervised all activities. Frequent tending required to ensure crown development free from grass competition.

All family plots were recorded for mapping purposes.

Some legume species were added to the area.

A P oocarpa provenance trail was established with 10 different seed batches. This included P tecunumannii seed batches under the name of P oocarpa.

Byfield forestry station provided several good clones of P merkusii var tapanuli grafted onto P carribea stock.

Grafting at Bulolo also used P kesiya stock for grafting P merkusii.

At Goroka, I trained another officer to select seed trees of P patula and to top cleft graft and side approach graft on P patula grafting stock. Overall, we ended up with more than 25 seed trees selected. Some at Lapegu and about 11 at Marafunga and some into the Eastern Highlands.

We were also considering P chiapensis

Grafting was onto field stock on a ridge line in C9 Lapegu. Altitude was approx. 2000 m. Staff recordedmonthly flowering,coneseedproduction.Similaractions at MarafungaandKainantu.

After two years of results, it was evident that the seed production area would need to be at a higher altitude than Lapegu. We recommended a portion of the Sirunki plantation near Laiagam. Because of losses due to grafting, a seedling seed orchard was established. Bob Thistlethwaite assisted by contacting a seed merchant in Holland with seed lots from South Africa and Rhodesia.

1970 travelled via Goroka (Alan Ross) and Mt Hagen to prepare the Sirunki seed orchard establishment.

• The Mt Hagen truck’ driver was Mac Duhui after the WW 2 troop ship sunk in Port Moresby harbour.

• Site cleared using calaboose labour and one policeman provided by ADC Nigel Van Ruth. (Some of the prisoners were from the earlier land dispute over the area where 5 people killed

• On clearing the area many remains of houses found in the shape of haus Enga; many sweet potato mounds surrounded by a large and deep defence ditch

• 3 weeks surveying seedling positions

• Flew Laiagam to Goroka by mission aviation aircraft to finalise seedling movement with Alan Ross.

• Seedlings airlifted by DC3 to Wabag.

• Next to seedling seed orchard a trial of Eucalyptus and Pinus. A pig fence needed.

• After a long stay I made it home by Christmas eve with a stop at the Mt Hagen Chemist for a toy for my daughter and a copper pot for her mother.

After leaving problems arose:

• ADC took his tractor back

• Labour contracted to collect cones started lopping branches hence reducing cone production

• When Enga established as a separate province, land disputes over seed production area

Bulolo Pinus Seed Production Areas & First Controlled Pollinations

A Pioneer Pinus merkusii

work

The story of making PNG more independent with its seed production to meet its requirements, particularly with Pinus and other species would be incomplete without the inclusion of Bulolo activities.

The first Pinus species provenance trial – Pinus merkusii January 1970. Seed from Sumatra; Java; Thailand; CFI Oxford. Additional imports from Vietnam and the Philippines.

• The 1959 introduction to Bulolo had several trees of reasonable form. They showed no Boron deficiency.

• It was flowering; fruiting and producing viable seed around 7 years

• The Queensland variety tapanuli had straight form.

• Approval given to sect; graft; control pollinate; hybridise studies

• The first cross was our Atjeh variety with the one surviving Queensland Tapanuli clone which produced excellent progeny

• Successful use of and exchange of pollens with Thailand where we were able to reciprocate with hybrid seed back to the Royal Thai Danish Pine project in Chieng Mai Thailand

• Overall, a significant project for staff capacity building; imparting tree breeding technology to collect and store pollen; make and use homemade pollination bags to isolateflowersbeforetheybecamereceptivetopollen;usingsyringeneedlesandrubber puffers to deliver pollen to isolated flowers

• Main staff William Kaumara; Celsus Levo; Koko Gumi; Robert John; Lawrence Jarua; Clement Sevese; John Paul

• Later outcomes included

• 1 recognising the continental provenances as a species separate from P Merkusii – now recognised as P latterii Manson

• 2 staff witnessing experimental rotary peeling of things form Hybrids trail at Bulolo Plymill for conversion to chop sticks and match boxes

Skills acquired included grafting Pinus, using marcotting as another means of vegetative propagation, recognise and select candidate seed trees and controlled pollination work with teak

Several progeny trials were established with open and controlled progeny at Bulolo with hybrids in replicated single line plots for selective thinning to create seedling seed orchards and Nori Kori Plantation Eastern Highlands with hybrids in replicated single line plots

Staff training with P merkusii included observations monthly re flowering and flower development and seed production. The Sumatran species flower all year with certain months being more productive; and the female flower develops to maturity faster than P caribaea.

B Pinus caribaea at Bulolo

The first grafted Pinus orchard of Australian P caribaea clones was by Leon Clifford in 1961 had 28 imported Queensland cones. It was established near the Bulolo forestry compound. Fires destroyed some of the best trees.

1968 the clone bank was expanded with 128 ramets from the 28 imported Queensland clones and 1 Bulolo Ortet.

In 1970, a clonal seed orchard established with 128 ramets from the 28 imported Queensland clones and 169 ramets selected cones from ortets at Bulolo; Wau; Mumeng and Goroka.

1970 a seedling seed orchard established.

1972, seed tree selection commenced

After 1975, a seed production area established on Manki Range from presumably Byfield seed production area Queensland. Trees were of good form.

C Other Pinus Species of Interest.

Pinus oocarpa provenance trial in conjunction with Dr Garth Nikles of Queensland forestry. Work was continued with one of the tecunumannii provenances with Wake Yelu master’s degree project work. This was established at Buiyebi in the Southern Highlands

Pinus chiapensis P kesiya looked promising but attacked by phytophthora. P patula but susceptible to moth attack (Lymantria ninayi)

Mycorrhiza Nursery Research

The nursery system for raising Pinus seedlings was developed to encourage the inoculation of the soils with mycorrhiza. The beds were designed not to have a cement base. On either side of the germination area inoculated seedlings were planted. Standout beds were bare, and the tubed stock had a second chance of being inoculated as the bases of black plastic tubes were cut.InthelatesixtiesamycologistMarianneHorakwasemployedwhointroducedand cultured several strains of mycorrhiza for release into the Highlands and Bulolo.

Note the left bed seedlings different colour indicate different species raised for species trial just starting post tubing recovery. Photo credit N Howcroft.

Forest extension beds -Pinus nursery germination. Note large Pinus trees border roots inoculate seedlings in bead and pots.

Photo credit N Howcroft.

Field Research Boron

Boron deficiency affected the apical leader of the tree stem where it would not develop. Any replacement growth produced necrotic tips. The tree would become a stunned broom bush.

After seedlings were planted, standard treatment at 6 to 12 months was to apply half a match box of borax (1 oz) in a half circle on the lower side of the seedling about a shoe distance away. A second application of 1 oz some six months later.

John Smith established some fertiliser trials, and the standardprocedureisincludedinhisPinushandbook.

Trial plantings often hindered by boron deficiency. Part of P. Oocarpa / patula provenance trial near Mendi Showing deficiency symptoms note others in grass. Photo credit N Howcroft.

Management and Utilisation

Initially no one interested in their use even though they put trees into the vast grasslands. Ground pruning poorly done with bush knives with resultant degrade. Chemical timber treatment came later after 1975.

Research into Companion Inter cropping: Agroforestry and Farm Forestry

One of the proposed advantages of introducing Pinus as an economic crop was to improve grassland sites for later inter planting with araucarias.

Some trials included establishing hoop and klinkii with a plantation of P caribaea. Trials included adding red cedar seedlings (Toona ciliate) to check for presence of cedar tip month attack.

In the Highlands trails under P elliottii with hoop worked well.

Pasture development was tested but required good pasture and plantation management otherwise seedlings trampled; soil compaction etc

Tropical Pinus spp. 11 can thrive where available nitrogen is scarce if mycorrhiza is present and they are resistant to grass fires, but the wood they produce is used for utility purposes and must be produced at low cost to compete as pulp and building timber with imports from natural coniferous forests in temperate and subtropical regions. more cheaply than any hardwood if soil nutrients are deficient

Species trial. P. caribaea var hondurensis Rd 35 Bulolo.

Photo credit Neville Howcroft.

Pinus merkusii from Queensland in clonal seed orchard Heads Hump Bulolo. Good form and vigour.

Photo credit Neville Howcroft.

Philippines Pinus merkusii centre of photo and on right F1 hybrid Pinus merkusii x latterii.

Photo credit Neville Howcroft.

P. merkusii var at.jeh Age 9 years.

Source DOF Notes on Wau Bulolo Activities. Bulletin # 3 of 1971.

Eucalyptus spp. and Tectona grandis

Abstract

An important part of silvicultural research and development work was with Teak and Kamarere.

Work on tree improvement with teak – Tectona grandis commenced in 1962. 12 13 14. Alan Cameron had been doing teak for three years when I arrived.

Work on E deglupta (kamarere) commence in 196815. John Davidson joined R & D in 19768.

Both programs

• Had provenance trials established = teak at Brown River and Kamarere at Kerevat, Madang, Dami

Although both programs had moved to the first stage of seed production, we lost both lead scientists

• John Davidson to become the inaugural head of UPNG forestry

• Alan Cameron was injured in a bad car accident in Indonesia and eventually left the forestry department to join PNG Forest Products at Bulolo

This resulted in me becoming the custodian of both projects to ensure what had been established was not lost. After 1975 there was renewed interest in these species.

Eucalyptus spp.

When I arrived, I was involved with the seed store together with John Thompson, Ted Collis. Celsus Levo etc

It is thought that the earliest introduction of a eucalyptus species may have been with the many hardwoodspeciesintroducedbytheGermansettlesandmissionaries.Theoldestrecord of1910 (DOF files 1938/39) describes the introduction of E robusta planted at the Lutheran Mission at Kerowagi Mt Hagen District. Many of the surviving trees were large and healthy.

The Bulolo Seed register records many Eucalypt seed lots being sent to the Highlands. They include:

• E deglupta

• E tereticornis

• E camaldulensis

• E saligna

Norm Endacott Lae regional Forest Manager reported on the large eucalyptus species trial at Goroka Marafunga sawmill site including E saligna; E grandis E robusta16; E globulus; E St Johnii; E obliqua; E nitens; E viminalis.

12

Refer White 1962

13

Refer Cameron 1966,1968

14 Refer Davidson and Howcroft 1072 & 1973

15 Davidson

16 Srivastava and Howcroft 1987

Goroka shared several species not represented at Marafunga as township amenity plantings. E.g., E torelliana; E citriodora; E maculata. Some of these species were to assist the bee keeping industry.

Why Use Exotic Eucalyptus species?

PNG had ten eucalypt species listed. Nine of these occur in Australia. However only two may survive in the Highlands.

The highlanders were used to Casuarina oligodon for site amelioration (fixation nitrogen) and companion tree planting. It could not produce the volume of wood required. Hence the need for eucalypts. However, the highlander farmers were against eucalypts because the issues included:

• eucalypts did not fix nitrogen (which the highlanders did not understand)

• the eucalypts were allopathic i.e., released plant growth inhibiting chemicals into the soil which affected vegetable growth

• the eucalypts were heavy feeders depleting the soil fertility and high-water users

Trial of New Species and investigations of other indigenous eucalypt species 17

These included

• E decaisneana or E urophylla from Timor Leste

• E pellita Western Province

• E tereticornis Popondetta Toma Region near the Managlase Plateau

Indigenous Commercial Species - E Deglupta

E deglupta (kamarere) was considered one of PNG’s most valued hardwood plantation species especially for the Japanese owned wood chip industry in Madang.

With Dr John Davidson’s arrival in Bulolo in 1973, he activated the development of a clonal orchard followed by a seedling seed orchard for his tree breeding and seed research development program. These were to be developed progressively to provide additional stock for the purpose of genetic manipulation to improve log form, recovery and wood density through candidate seed tree selection, progeny testing and the propagation of seed trees for establishment in seed orchards to produce genetically improved seed for the production of superior planting stock.

John Davidson established several provenance trials. Concurrent with these he started with supporting research into propagation techniques, selection parameters and progeny trails. My involvement was to measure growth plots, Provence trials and assist in selecting seed trees.

These were provenance seed collection expeditions in PNG.

We established John’s clonal ramets in Bulolo SPA and seedling seed orchard of Kerevat seed trees. Later, I established a provenance seedling production area using wilding open rooted seedlings collected from Wililo River natural stands West New Britain at Bulolo. The stand had good stem development. This was one of our few successes.

17 Several other species discovered and tested after 1975 with provenance testing in Markham/Ramu river valleys

I intended to progressively expand this PSPA. During my exploration of stands in East and West New Britain I attempted with forestry provincial staff and villagers to protect sample natural stands from logging coupes and oil palm companies.

In addition, we established a seed production area of Philippines Bislig Bay Origin at Bulolo. The seed came from a holiday visit to the Philippines Bagio Forestry Research Centre with contact Cenon Padolina.

During my time on this project,

• seed store staff continued to collect and distribute seed to local and international industry

• collected phenology data on productivity, flowering, fruiting, monthly seed production; costs etc

After 1975, Dr John Davidson had left research to take up the position of head of the Forestry department at the University of Technology Lae, we were left as custodians of his work (managing seed collections; documentation of clonal and seedling seed orchards for his replacement who never came. Our last contact with John Davidson in relation to his research was a joint trip to West Papua with partners from the Australian National Tree Seed centre, Indonesian Forestry Departments of Bogor, and Irian Jaya. My task on this field trip was to collect Araucaria cunninghamii seed from the Kebar Valley. John Davidson visited the E deglupta stands in the Wissel Lakes area.18

Some of the Irian Jaya E deglupta Seed Collection Results

The seed extracted was shared with their counterparts. Unfortunately, the kamarere seed taken to PNG was killed by the quarantine treatment. However, John Davidson recovered some seed from the herbarium specimens. He passed this to me in a match box. Later, I had the seed sown and a small number of trees were sown. Eventually we planted 11 seedlings at wide spacing at Manki Range close to the fire tower but across the road close to the Castanopsis forest edge. I think by 2017 the number was down to 9 trees left and now probably five. The stand had been flowering and fruiting and viable seed was collected and stored at the seed centre. There is no doubt that this was a true Wissel Lake Provenance as the leaf sizes and shapes compare to the herbarium material. The fertile capsules appear to differ from the ENB provenance. The bark isbeautifullycoloured;however,thefoliageisadarkergreenandleafbladethickerandrounder in outline. (It took close to 44 years to catch up with John Davidson to confirm the identity of the tree species.)

Concluding the Account of our input into PNG E deglupta

From my personal experience, seed collection from E deglupta is difficult. To guess the time to collect seed is difficult when looking through rifle telescopic sights or strong binoculars. Sometimes stands will be undeveloped and several weeks before maturing. Then depending on the provenance of origin; some branches very brittle whereas others strong when using a rifle to fell the branch. The harvesting of seed by breaking branches is hard because modern day constraints do not allow rifles or you to use chainsaws in some instances.

Extent /Scope of Seed Collection and Sampling

Access to stands is a continual problem. In ENB, many of the natural stands have been cleared for agricultural pursuits as oil palm, cocoa or even coffee. There is still some natural regeneration along the rivers as the Warangoi River; around the Baining Mountains; Open bay; Wide Bay; Loi; Mevelo; Sai to Wililo Rivers; base of Talasea Peninsula etc. The problem was to try and beat the logging and oil palm companies. In many localities only scattered trees left. Some collections done at Ulamona mission and on the side of Ulawun volcano. Other areas included Pual River near Vanimo.

Insect Pests of Note

Argilus opulentus is a small attractive buprestid which attacks kamarere and some terminalia species. It is known as the varicose vein beetle because it tunnels in the cambial layer of the trees causing raisedridges. Youngtrees crowns canbreakoffin thewindwhichthenintroduces rot into the stems. The cultivars from the Philippines (introduced to Open Bay) are reputed to be either resistant to this beetle or field tolerant

I collected a small fly/wasp called Fergussonina associated with galls of the flower buds of kamarere flowers near Ulamonia.The infestations varied. It is also a pest of Syzygium species

Conservation Issues

There is a need to

• extend the gene pools of the clones

• establish a phenology study of the flowering and fruiting provenances

• need to develop ex situ conservation stands against land grabbing by oil palm companies etc

Young teak stand. Source DOF

TEAK - Tectona grandis

Preamble

Tectona grandis is known by its trade name Teak throughout PNG. It was first introduced to PNG during the period 1890-1900 from Burma by the former German administration. The species demonstrated a high adaptability in several provinces in PNG. It has been recommended for afforestation and reforestation from 1925/27.

The Department of Forests started a plantation in 1951 at Kerevat and in 1955 at Mt Lawes with subsequent plantings.

I was introduced to teak by Kevin White and Alan Cameron when I arrived in Port Moresby in 1965. Iwas given the job of monitoring the growth of teak plantations by annually remeasuring established growth and yield plots and establishing new ones in new plantation compartments. There were provenance trials and progeny trials to remeasure.

On moving around these plantations at Mt Lawes and Kerevat, I was also given the job of selecting candidate seed trees which were later vetted by Cameron for retention and inclusion in the teak breeding program or rejected. other work included thinning and measuring the first thinnings and spacing trial at Kerevat near the forest plantation office and nursery.

Seed batch or province acquisitions of teak were scattered throughout the plantations. They were difficult to find. But they had to be measured and sometimes used for seed. This was all part of Cameron’s ongoing search for new gene pool material. Trials were scattered in the Mainland provinces and the island provinces. The Burmese and Indian provinces were of interest.

I was not the only person doing measurements as new expatriate recruits helped by PNG students assisted.

The demand for Teak seed – Establishing the Source

The colonial German administration during it tenure showed that teak performed well. Jeff Fairlamb helped establish important progeny trials at Vunapalading. Other trials were established at Dami and Wewak etc

Improving the genetic quality.

At this stage, I was expected to select and mark candidate teak seed trees to be approved by Alan Cameron. The best was then to be numerically evaluated, recorded, and then grafted in the clonal orchard by Mr Kipling Kamit or Clement Severse which also served as a clone bank. My other work was not only to look after the growth and yield plots but teak seed trees, provenances, and progeny trials as well.

Later I became more involved with teak breeding/seed production program under Alan Cameron and for a while under John Davidson at Brown River and East New Britain.

Disaster slowed the teak program. Alan Cameron was off active duty for some time to recuperatefromseriousinjurysustainedinanawfullybadmotoraccidentinIndonesiaofwhich he was the only survivor. I was hampered in my work due to his absence and continued seed tree selection.

Alan Cameron then resigned from the Department to take up the General Manager’s position at CNGT Bulolo.

Unfortunately, no replacement was found for Cameron or Davidson as an officer in charge of the teak tree improvement program. The result was leaving PNG in an award position. A large amount of time and money had been spent to bring PNG in sight of the teak timber trade in the Pacific.

Our records showed that in 1972, we had established a clonal teak seed orchard of some 16 hectares. Initially there were some 20 seed trees cloned from local plantations and 6 selected parents of Thailand and 6 from India. Additional candidate seed trees selection was identified of some 100 trees (Brown River and Kerevat) but were eventually lost to logging operations. The development of these orchards in 1962 and 1965 began production with first flowering in 1964 and 1965. they demonstrated the need for further improvement work.

As the last man standing, with some tree breeding background, I took on the custodianship of the teak program. The retention of the two clonal seed orchards was a priority because of the threat of uncontrolled logging. We were assisted by provincial forest officer sand their staff. Thanks to quick action by Ambrose Jamomo, he stopped the illegal operator from felling the Mt Lawes seed orchard.

At Kerevat we lost the little Vudal orchard as section by section was cut by squatters etc who dubiously claimed ownership of the land. I was on the PNGFA/ITTO balsa project but unable to influence the illegal activities.

Alan Cameron did establish for teak trials such as:

• an international Provence trials.

• evaluation seed tree progeny with putative control pollination progeny. they were supposed to be of a distinctive Indian province crossed with other hybrids. Even today wildings demonstrate good features of Indian teak- good stem from and log length

The information from this article comes from tropical forest research notes; Howcroft field reports and a report on the history of teak tree breeding program; for training of field staff

In recent times, an ACIAR/UNRE project was established to develop further the teak tree improvement program

Why spend moneyon a teak treebreedingprogram?Addressingtheneed foravailability, quality, quantity, and self sufficiency

If PNG were to progress with teak as a commercial species, it would need a good source of quality seed. Good seed is in high demand and many countries do not want competitors.

The current seed sources other than those variable sources left by the Germans are not genetically satisfactory. PNG needs to be self-sufficient in high quality seed sources

The first teak introductions were between 1890-1900 by the then German administration. They are said to be from Burma. A stand at Bogia (north coast Madang) displayed excellent from and growth.

The first Australian PNG plantation at Kerevat were established in 1950. This was followed by Brown River in 1955. The planting rate reached a peak in 1967-1970 of 280-320 ha/annum.19

The need for genetic improvement was recognised early. A ten-year-old stand at Kerevat used a as s spacing and stocking trial (source Bogia stand (was thinned to 150 stems/ha in 1960. It provided seed for PNG from 1962 to 1968.

Overseas seed sources trialled included Thailand; Burma; Orissa near Calcutta India; West Indies; Philippines/Africa and India.

Trials established included Kerevat – controlled pollination progeny trails for provenance hybridisation

Two colonial seed orchards established using modified version of “forkert” budding technique at Brown river and Kerevat.

Securing the future of teak in PNG

By the end of 1979 Kerevat had 1922 ha of teak: Brown River 1883 ha. Kuriva and extension plantings were additional.

At the end of 1975, examination of the volume production with increased heart wood showed that the tree breeding project had improved wood quality and quantity.

TEAK Tectona grandis

Tectona grandis (teak)flowers, foliage, and fruits. Source Wikipedia.

Teak (Tectona grandis) is a tropical hardwood tree species in the family Lamiaceae. It is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. Tectona grandis has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters (panicles) at the end of the branches. These flowers contain both types of reproductive organs (perfect flowers). The large, papery leaves of teak trees are often hairy on the lower surface. Teak wood has a leather-like smell when it is freshly milled and is particularly valued for its durability and water resistance. The wood is used for boat building, exterior construction, veneer, furniture, carving, turnings, and other small wood projects.

Tectona grandis is native to Southeast Asia as Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Sri Lanka. It is cultivated in many countries.

Teak's natural oils make it useful in exposed locations and make the timber termite- and pestresistant. Teak is durable even when not treated with oil or varnish. Teak's high oil content, high tensile strength and tight grain make it particularly suitable where weather resistance is desired. It is used in the manufacture of outdoor furniture and boat decks.

Teak is propagated mainly from seeds. Clonal propagation of teak has been successfully done through grafting, rooted stem cuttings and micro propagation.

Source: Lata A (2016) Teak Plantations & Woodlots in PNG Teak Conference, LAO PDR 14-18th Nov 2016 PNG Forest Research Institute Anton Lata PNG Forest Authority Teak Domestication Manager alata@fri.pngfa.gov.pg Presentation.

Source: Lata A (2016) Teak Plantations & Woodlots in PNG Teak Conference, LAO PDR 14-18th Nov 2016 PNG Forest Research Institute Anton Lata PNG Forest Authority Teak Domestication Manager alata@fri.pngfa.gov.pg Presentation.

A sample taken from one of the boards produced from 1907 Teak Kokopo.

Photo Credit Des Harries 1971

During 1957 a fifty-year-old tree was cut from the Kokopo plantation and sawn into planks at the Kerevat mill. The former German Administration had established trials at Kokopo prior to 1914.

At the Brown River, by 1971, the planting program had steadied at about 200 ha per year But at Kerevat, the onset of local land ownership claims curtailed further planting.

20Initially seed for the Kerevat plantation was collected from old German plantings near Kokopo and on New Ireland. In 1957 this was being organised by Regional Forest Officer, Alex Richardson and Regional staff officer, Ms. Lorraine Taylor. Some years later a seed orchard was established at Kerevat in an area isolated from the main plantations

Agro Forestry Research Activities

Legume Studies

During the 1970s, at Bulolo, Neville Howcroft carried out a lot of work on grazing under the araucaria and pine plantations, including making several new legume introductions. This work was written up in the Forest Research Note series at the time, but the most important outcome was a field day held at Bulolo held in the mid-1970s with participants from all over and attendance of the radio media.

Field day forest pastures trial in young Pinus plantation Rd 35 Bulolo. Hoop on the horizon. Howcroft describes trial species. Photo credit N Howcroft.

Grazing trials improved forest pastures - Fire break of Hoop with pasture species and levels of improvement and grazing recovery trialled. Photo credit N Howcroft

The first John Davidson photo shows Neville with his signature pipe getting ready to say something for the recorder.

Leucaena diversifolia

Originally introduced as a potential wood chip species but has found other uses in agro forestry activities.

Agroforestry seed sources Geshes Bulolo. Thinned for fuel wood. National seed production reaGeshes seed orchard. Photo credit N Howcroft.

Balsa Project New Britain

Balsa is native to tropical South America. It is a deciduous angiosperm and the softest commercial hardwood. It is now grown in other countries as PNG, Indonesia, Thailand, Solomon Islands. It is a pioneer plant which establishes itself in clearings, etc. It grows extremely rapidly, up to 27 m in 10-15 years. It is noted for its soft, light weight wood from the Spanish balsa meaning float or raft. Commercial balsa is plantation grown in recent years, with trees harvested after five to six years. Because it is low in density but high in strength, balsa is a very popular material for light, stiff structures as models, aircraft, wind turbines, etc.

Balsa was introduced to PNG in the late 1930s, with further introductions made between 1948 and 1961, mostly to East New Britain Province (ENB). The commercial potential of the crop was investigated in 1952 and 1956 and trial shipments were made to Australia. By the 1960s, a processing mill had been established at Keravat in ENB and a small industry had started to develop on the Gazelle Peninsula. In the 1980s and early 1990s, smallholder participation in the balsa industry on the Gazelle Peninsula was supported by extension activities provided by the National Department of Forestry and the ENB Division of Primary Industry. However, by 1995 extension activities had ceased, which resulted in harvesting rates exceeding replanting rates and a corresponding decline in available balsa. This situation was compounded by the Rabaul volcanic eruption of 1994, which defoliated many trees and caused activity in the industry to cease.

Following the eruption, recognition of the economic potential of balsa, coupled with concerns about the lack of extension services and information about the state of the industry, led provincial and national authorities to request overseas assistance. This resulted in the establishment of the East New Britain Balsa Industry Strengthening Project, under the guidance of Neville Howcroft, funded by the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO). The project operated from 1996 to 2003

ITTO Project with the late John Ohana thinning out and measuring billets from seedling seed orchard/ progeny trial of Balsa at Keravat.

Photo credit Neville Howcroft collection.

ITTO Project with the late John Ohana thinning out and measuring billets from seedling seed orchard/ progeny trial of Balsa at Keravat. Photo credit Neville Howcroft collection.

ITTO Project - commencement of bush nursery trials at Kerevat. Photo credit Neville Howcroft collection.

Balsa logs old sawmill site Kerevat. Photo credit Dick McCarthy. .

PNG Forestry Education

Bulolo Forestry College taken before Library built.

Photo credit N Howcroft.

Display BFC Ttree breeding research Pinus hybrid work, grafting, seed product. The display illustrates tree breeding stem form improvement with Pinus merkusii hybridizing.

Photo credit Neville Howcroft.

REFLECTIONS - THE PAPUA NEW GUINEA EXPERIENCE

My early days Australian experiences proved to be to very valuable in PNG for Eucalyptus spp as well as Pinus species were already established. They all needed silvicultural management.

Over time, I applied my knowledge and the technology experiences I had learnt into agroforestry as well as training and academic work where required in the Eastern and Western Highland, Central, Madang, Sandaun, and Island provinces as well as the Sepik.

I established the National Tree Seed Centre at Bulolo to support reliable seed sources, genetic resources, and conservation.It was aimedat makingtheDepartment self-sufficientin improved seed. Such a programme including clonal orchard establishment had already been initiated by Alan Cameron around 1962 for teak and by Dr. John Davidson for kamarere.

During these developments, my forestry duties became more diversified involving forest protection with entomology, while in other areas leading to the establishment of tree breeding programs and seed orchards of several Pinus species using clonal and seedling seed orchard strategies.

I trained staff and initiated PNGs first ever controlled pollination program to produce its first hybrids involving Pinus merkusii provenances and Pinus latterii.

Shortly after that I became responsible for the Araucaria improvement and research program. This included PNG partnering with FAO in the exploration of natural forestry resources and perceived conservation status, estimates of seed production, time, and ease of access and to expedite collections for national and international provenance trials and to identify and recommend ex situ conservation stands. Initially this involved PNG and West Papua Araucaria cunninghamii and hunsteinii (Eucalyptus deglupta was included as well). Targets were identified and set by the new senior staff as Mr Barry Gray (later Dr) and Dr. John Davidson in collaboration with the Australia National Tree Seed Centre, ACIAR and oversea supporters and partners interested in specific PNG genera and species.

Comments on Development evolving from this period and then beyond 1975

• After 1975, much interest was shown with Acacia species and Santalum (eaglewood).

• Dr. Davidson left to become head of the Forestry Department of the University of Technology (referred throughout the report here as Unitech, Lae). Through these connectionsitwaspossibletosecureassistanceto getstafftrainedtocollect andprocess tree seed more efficiently and to operate and develop the PNG National Tree Seed Centre.

• This came into being after the break down of the original Bulolo cold store facilities which were used during a tragic air crash on the 28th of August ,1972, of an Australian Army Caribou aircraft, carrying school cadets. The recovery and storage of the deceased in this national tragedy was able to be carried out due to being equipped with 4 large rooms operating at adjustable storage temperature. The facility was taken over in that emergency as nothing else existed to deal with the current situation at Bulolo or Lae. After all the forensic work had completed, the bodies were repatriated to Port Moresby and eventually to their home province and family for burial.

• Seedfortheseed production hadbeen returnedto thecool roomsbut bynow thefacility cool room structures started to collapse (due to chemicals used to store the bodies) and become unreliable for storing seed (including all our research seed).

• As the interior walls and roofing started to collapse it became difficult to maintain steady temperature at the required levels.

• Before this unforeseeable event occurred, Howcroft had, with assistance, developed a proposal for a new Seed Store for the existing research centre.

• It was approved and established through New Zealand Aid.

• This prevented a seed storage crisis for national and international demand only just on time. There were some losses in the seed viability, for the Araucaria seed collection occurred.

Notes on Publication and Capacity Building

I can recall that except for representation at international meetings, the earliest publications on forest development came from Forest HQ. There was no time allowed to publish relevant research results. Whatever results and conclusions were reported that met HQ approval, direction was then to apply them in the field.

During Dr. Davidson’s tenure at Bulolo, the results of their field research were published as Tropical Forestry Research Notes. These may be found in the FRI (Forest Research Institute) and University of Technology libraries at Lae.

An important issue addressed by the Australian government and thus the various PNG Government departments including forestry, was the academic and the industrial capacity building of new recruits and enrolled forestry students, including the field staff who had obviously started with the Bulolo Forestry College.

As one of many examples, a course in seed radiography was held at CSIRO Australian Tree Seed Centre, Canberra. Key PNG NTSC staff were also recommended and trained by the National AustralianTree CentreThis was probably thefirst forHowcroft’sstaffoftheNational Tree Seed Centre to travel outside of PNG. This form of capacity building continued after Howcroft transferred to Lae.

My Bulolo team and I can claim to be the first, to have bred the first tropical Pinus hybrid in Papua New Guinea, the Indonesian Pinus merkusii with the continental P. latterii from Thailand, using the controlled pollination techniques that Howcroft had learnt whilst working for the Queensland Forestry Department on southern exotic pines.

I enrolled myself with the University of Technology, Lae where I studied and undertook research on a terrestrial orchid genus part time, while working at FRI. I was awarded a Master of Philosophy degree in 1994.

On the 17th of November 2011 I was awarded an OBE for services to Eco- forestry and conservation of commercial tree species in the pacific (PNG).

Sharing the Forest Technology to Industry and Academia

I was transferred from the Bulolo Research Station and National Tree Seed Centre to join FRI in Lae to continue additional work as a senior Technical officer. I still played a supervisory role on all activities of the relatively new National Tree Seed Centre at Bulolo.

In 1995, Iaccepted aconsultancy position to work as theProject manageron thePNGFA/ITTO Balsa Project in East New Britain. (This did not start on time because of the September 1994 volcanic eruption at Rabaul).

With selected PNG staff, I re-established the industry in the Gazelle peninsula, introduced a tree improvement programme and improved tree seed sources. Forestry balsa silviculture was taught to farmers rather than allow balsa to be treated like sugar cane as in agriculture. This work continued after an extension period ending in 2003/4, with ACIAR with the PNG Vudal university. By then, farmers were beginning to grow and use their own planting stock as well as that produced by the project’s forestry nurseries.

Taking Silviculture and Diversity to Agriculture Sectors of Vudal University.

It was during this ITTO Balsa period (1995-2004) that I found that the teak genetic resources in the Islands was under threat. I was able to prevent these resources from being harvested. This included playing a role in the protection of the Vunapalading selected teak seed trees with the help of my very capable assistant Mr. John Ohana. The Balsa Project leader position was localized at that time to Mr. John Ohana to ensure continuity when I completed his contract.

John Ohana and Neville Howcroft ITTO Balsa Project 1996.

Photo credit N Howcroft

After a further short period of consultancy in East New Britain, I joined the Vudal University to start a Forestry Department in the School of Natural Resources in July 2007.

Diversity in the curriculum and to the Rural Farming Communities

TheUniversity became theUniversity of Natural Resources and Environment. It was originally an Agricultural college. The new Department of Forestry was not well accepted within the framework of the School of Natural Resources. This was largely due to the dominant agricultural mind set which seemed reluctantly to accept the new department and its activities as part of the rural land scape protection and development. However, this new department was encouraged to exercise a partisan role of rural development in the landscape which was reflected in the lectures developed for this transition including:

• Forestry on Farms,

• Horticulture (trees for all occasions).

• The Tree Improvement lectures had elements of seed source improvement and development, conservation of exotic and indigenous species.

• The need for land use and land care were also infused in these lectures.

Projects established over the period in collaboration with ACIAR included:

• Further extension of Balsa research as a follow up to recommendations made by the ITTO project.

• The UNRE participation in the Teak Improvement program. This collaborative ACIAR program involved the PNGFA, FRI, as well as NGOs such as OISCA and others, effectively inject new life into the Teak tree breeding program started by Mr. A. Cameron (1962). It followed and complimented the recommendations in a teak genetic resource survey report by Howcroft (2005).

Apart from the academic and practical and developmental nature of Howcroft’s work:

• Staff in the National Forestry Department and University received training and were given development opportunities.

• Students at the university level, were given a broader academic and practical view and the scope to include, from an agro -forester and conservationist’s perspective, the subjects of land use and land care, tree species selection, and the need for conservation so sorely needed across New Guinea.

My team of technical officers’ staff qualifications included tropical agricultural graduates at diploma and bachelor’s degree level, a forestry degree graduate from Lae and a Nursery Technical Officer,whohadgraduatedin aforestry-orientedcourseconductedbytheUniversity of Tasmania in 2017.

Taim blong Malalo na Pulim Win

In 2017 I had reached retirement age. I reluctantly but voluntarily retired. My position was taken by a newly employed replacement, an experienced English Forester who had worked in South America (Brazil?). I, on request from the Vice Chancellor, extended my term to assist the new man to take up this post. I terminated my term when it was obvious my replacement could carry on without further assistance.

The Department that I was asked to establish has finally received its recognition among the agriculture and fisheries and goodness only knows what other things at Vudal. So, now I felt I could exit.

Photo credit Neville Howcroft July 2022

I have an inherent interest in Botany and other biological sciences. I have had an orchid, a shrub, and a new insect (a potential Pine pest) named after me I have personally described several new species of orchids and published many forestry and botanical papers.

Concurrently I have also provided and published a wide range of scientific illustrations in overseas journals.

.

A selection of Neville’s scientific illustrations.

Source Neville Howcroft.

ACRONYMS

AAD Australian Antarctic Division

ACT Australian Capital Territory

ACIAR Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research

ACLMP AusAid funded World Bank Land Mobilisation program.

ACP African, Caribbean and Pacific States

ADB Asian Development Bank

AEC Administrators Executive Committee

AFAP Australian Foundation for the Peoples of Asia & the Pacific Ltd.

ADB African Development Bank

AFLEGT African Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade

AFPNG Association of Foresters of PNG

AFS Australian Forestry School

AFTA Asean Free Trade Area

AIF Australian Infantry Forces

AMF Australian Military Forces

ANBG Australian National Botanical Gardens

ANGAU Australian New Guinea Administrative Unit

ANU Australian National University

APEC Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation

APMF Australian Paper Manufacturers Forestry Pty Ltd

APPM Australia Paper and Pulp Manufacturers

ARD Afforestation, Reforestation and avoided Deforestation

ASEAN Association of South East Asian Nations

ASIO Australian Security Intelligence Organisation

ASOPA Australian School of Pacific Administration

ATIBT Association Technique Internationale des Bois Tropicaux

ATL Accelerated Tariff Liberalization

ATO African Timber Organization

AusAID Australian Aid Agency

BA basal area

BCOF British Commonwealth Occupational Force 1945-52

BDV Brussels Definition of Value

“Beer Time” Any time.

BFC Bulolo Forestry College

BGD Bulolo Gold Dredging Company

BNGD British New Guinea Development (Company Limited)

BUC Bulolo University College

C Commonwealth

cm centimetre

CALM Western Australian Department of Conservation and Land Management

CBD Convention on Biological Diversity

CDM Clean Development Mechanism

CEFACT United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business

CEPT Common Effective Preferential Tariff

CERFLOR Certificate of Origin of Forest Raw Material, Brazil

CFA Commonwealth Forestry Association

CFE Community forestry enterprise

CGTM Cintra for Global Trade Model

CIF cost, insurance, freight

CIFOR Centre for International Forestry Research

CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora

C & I Criteria and indicators

CNGT Commonwealth New Guinea Timbers Bulolo

CO2 carbon dioxide

COC chain of custody

Coillte (Irish pronunciation: [ˈkəilʲtʲə], meaning "forests"/"woods") is a commercial forestry business in Ireland, owned by the state,

COP Conference of Parties

CPF Collaborative Partnership on Forests

CRE Commander Royal Engineers

CRE CRE is a term inherited by RAE from RE and is the term for the Commanding Officer of a RAE unit which is headed by a Lt Col. Although the officer is called the CRE the name is also used for the name of his unit.

E.g., CRE Aust Forestry Group or 1(NG Forests).

CSIRO Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organisation

CHAH Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria

C&I Criteria and Indicators

C&L Certification and Labelling

CSD Commission on Sustainable Development (United Nations)

CTE Committee on Trade and Environment

DASF Dept of Agriculture, Stock and Fisheries

DBH/ dbh Diameter at breast height

DEPT Department

DESA United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs

DIES Department of Information and Extension Services

DIY Do-it-yourself

DPI Department of Primary Industry

DOF Department of Forests

DSB Dispute Settlement Body

EC European Commission ECA Export credit agency

ECE Economic Commission for Europe

ECOSOC Economic and Social Council of the United Nations

EEA European Economic Area

EFI European Forest Institute

EIA Environmental Investigation Agency

EMAS Eco-Management and Audit Scheme of European Union

EMS Environmental Management System

ENB East New Britain Province.

e.g. For example

ENGO Environmental Non-governmental Organisation

Etc et cetera (more of the same)

EU European Union

EVSL Early Voluntary Liberalisation

FAO Food and Agriculture Organisation

F &TB Forest and Timber Bureau Canberra

FIM Forest Information System

FMA Forest Management Agreement

FPRC Forest Products Research Centre Hohola

FRA Forest Resource Assessment

FRG Forest Red Gum

FRI Forest Research Institute Lae

Forkol Bulolo Forestry College

FSP/PNG Foundation of the Peoples of the South Pacific

FCCC See UNFCCC

FD Forest department

FDI Foreign direct investment

FIELD The Foundation for International Environmental Law and Development

FLEGT Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade

FLEG Forest Law Enforcement and Governance

FLONAS National Forest logging concessions, Brazil

FOB free on board

FSC Forest Stewardship Council

FTAA Free Trade Area of the Americas

GAB Girth above buttress

Gbhob Girth breast height over bark

Gubab Girth under bark above buttress

GIS Geographic Information Systems

G8 Group of Eight (leading economies)

GATT General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade

GDP Gross Domestic Product

GEF Global Environment Facility

GFTN Global Forest and Trade Network

GFPM Global Forest Products Model

GHG greenhouse gas

GIS Geographical information system

GMO genetically modified organism

GNP Gross National Product

GPA Plurilateral Government Procurement Agreement

GSP Generalized System of Preferences

GTZ Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit ha hectare

IBRD International Bank for Reconstruction and Development

IEA International Energy Agency

IFA Institute of Foresters of Australia

IFY International Year of the Forest

IADB Inter-American Development Bank

IBAMA Amazon Environmental Institute, Brazil

ICA International Commodity Agreement

ICCI International Conference on C&I for Sustainable Forest Management

IDB Inter-American Development Bank

IEA International Environmental Agreement

IEC International Electrical Commission

IFC International Finance Corporation

IFF Intergovernmental Forum on Forests

IHPA International Hardwood Products Association

IIED International Institute for Environment and Development

IMF International Monetary Fund

INGO International Non-Governmental Organisations

IPC Integrated Programme for Commodities

IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

IPF Intergovernmental Panel on Forests

ISO International Organization for Standardisation

ITC International Trade Centre

ITTA International Tropical Timber Agreement

ITTC International Tropical Timber Council

ITTO International Tropical Timber Organization

IUCN The World Conservation Union

IWPA International Wood Products Association

JICA Japanese International Cooperation Agency

L of N League of Nations

LRRS Land Resource Soils Survey (branch of CSIRO)

LCA Life Cycle Analysis

LEEC London Economic and Environmental Centre

LEI Indonesian Ecolabelling Institute

LULUCF Land Use, Land Use Change and Forests m3 cubic metre

MCCAF McCarthy & Associates (Forestry) Pty. Ltd.

MHA Member of House of Assembly PNG

MIA mean annual increment in cubic metres/hectare/year

MM Military Medal

MUS Malayan Uniform System

MEA Multilateral Environmental Agreement

MFN Most Favoured Nation

MIGA Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency

MOU Memorandum of Understanding

MTTC Malaysian Timber Certification Council n.a. not available

NAA National Archives Australia

NARI National Agriculture Research Institute

NB New Britain

NAFTA North American Free Trade Agreement

NGO Non-Governmental Organisation

NHLA National Hardwood Lumber Association

NRRP Natural Resources and Rights Program

NT National Treatment

NTB non-tariff barrier

NTCC National Timber Certification Council

NTFP non-timber forest product

NTM non-tariff measures

NWFP non-wood forest product

NDS Northern District Sawmills

NFCAP PNG National Forestry and Conservation Action Plan

NGM New Guinea Mainland no. number

NG New Guinea

NGF New Guinea Forces (relates to plant collection of Lae Herbarium)

NGIB New Guinea Infantry Battalion

NGI New Guinea Islands

NGO Non-Government Organisation

NGVR New Guinea Volunteer Rifles

NZ New Zealand

NSW New South Wales

NTSC National Tree Seed Centre PNG Bulolo

OECD Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development

OTO Office of Trade and Investment Ombudsman

OIC Officer in Charge

OISCA Organisation for Industrial, Spiritual and Cultural Advancement International Japan.

OTML Ok Tedi Mining Ltd

P or p page

PEFC Pan European Forest Certification Scheme

PFDB FAO planted forest database

PIB Papuan Infantry Battalion

PIR Pacific Islands Regiment

PNG Papua New Guinea

PNGAA Papua New Guinea Australia Association

PNGAF Papua New Guinea Australian Foresters Magazine Series

PNGFA Papua New Guinea Forest Authority

PNGFIA PNG Forest Industries Association

PNGRIS Papua New Guinea Resource Information System

PNGUT PNG University of Technology

POM Port Moresby

P&C Principles and Criteria

PEFC Pan-European Forest Certification Framework

PGA Plurilateral Agreement on Government Procurement

PPM production and processing method

PPP Polluter Pays Principle (other meaning Purchasing Power Parity)

QLD Queensland

QF Queensland Forestry

RAE Royal Australian Engineers/Australian Army

RPC Royal Papuan Constabulary

RRA Rapid Resource Appraisal

RIIA Royal Institute of International Affairs

RIL reduced impact logging

RFE Russia Far East

RTA Regional Trade Agreement

RWE roundwood equivalent

SAP structural adjustment programme

SPS Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures

SFM Sustainable Forest Management

SGS Société General de Surveillance

SMS Selective Management System Malaysia

SP South Pacific

SPWP Secondary Processed Wood Products sq m square metres

TAG Trade Advisory Group of ITTO

TSS Tropical Shelterwood System

TBT Technical Barriers to Trade

TFF Tropical Forest Foundation

TFRK traditional forest-related knowledge

TNC Transnational corporation

TRAINS Trade-Basic Indicators of UNCTAD

TREM trade-related environmental measures

TRIM Trade Related Investment Measures

TRIP Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights

UK United Kingdom

UN United Nations Unasylva Journal of FAO of UN

UNCCD United Nations Programme to Combat Desertification

UNCED United Nations Conference on Environment and Development

UNCSD United Nations Committee on Sustainable Development

UNCTAD United Nations Conference on Trade and Development

UNESCO United Nations Economic and Social Council

UNDP United Nations Development Programme

UNECE United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

UNEP United Nations Environment Programme

UNFCCC Framework Convention on Climate Change of United Nations

UNFF United Nations Forum on Forests US,

USTR Office of the US Trade Representative

UNE University of New England Armidale NSW

UNEP United Nations Environment Program

UNI University

UNITECH University of Technology Lae PNG

UNRE University of Natural Resources and Environment

UPNG University of Papua New Guinea

UQ University of Queensland

US United States

USA United States of America

USD United States dollar

TPNG Territory of Papua and New Guinea

TUBL Territory United Brewery Ltd

TA Timber Area

TA Timber Authority

TRADAC Timber Research & Development Advisory Council Qld.

TRP Timber Rights Purchase

Vol volume

VSF Victorian School of Forestry WA Western Australia WB World Bank

WCMC World Conservation Monitoring Centre

WCO World Customs Organisation

WSSD World Summit for Sustainable Development WTO World Trade Organization

WWF World Wide Fund for Nature Yr. year