Overview

Overview

Following the decision in 1937 to appoint a Chief Forester to TPNG, development of the PNG forest tree plantation estate began after Jim McAdam2 commenced duties in 1938 as TPNG’s Chief Forester.

3 The TPNG Department of Forests plantation policy was to develop forest plantations of indigenous and exotic species in selected areas from the late 1930’s, interrupted due to WW2 1939-1945, following the concept that permanent centres of population and existing industry, required a perpetual supply of raw materials. This policy recognized that plantation forests were seen as complementary to natural forests, never able to replace all the values associated with the natural forests, but where appropriately developed, helping to divert some of the pressures away from them.

The Department of Forests through its Division of Silviculture established two sections –Forest Research (a forthcoming PNGAF magazine will address forest plantation research in more detail) and Forest Plantation Management.

In Forest Research, the Department employed research foresters such as Joe Havel, Kevin White, Alan Cameron, John Davidson, David Lamb, John Smith, Bob Thistlethwaite, and Leon Clifford. Entomologists as Barry Gray, Ross Wylie, Brenton Charles Peters. Scientists included Marianne and Egon Horak, and Senior Technical Research Officers as Neville Howcroft.

In Forest Plantation Management, the Department employed foresters as plantation managers such as Dave Dunn, John Godlee, Des Harries, Ian Grundy, Bob Bruce, Ken Hart, Rod Holesgrove, Robin Morwood, Elliot Tuckwell, Alan White, Dick McCarthy, Chris Done and Joe Havel. Senior Technical officers included Alan Frazer, Ted and Norma Collis, Jack Hadden, Cliff Southwell, Robert Cattanach and Frank Vickery.

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.

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

Photo credit N Howcroft.

Early research into Klinkii Pine silviculture was undertaken by Joe Havel which was completed by 1959 and published in 1965. Similarly, Joe Havel did extensive research into the ecological studies of the PNG Araucaria forests.

2 PNGAF Magazine Issue # 3 of 30th Oct 2020 – Jim McAdam first Director TPNG Forests. 3 FAO UNASYLVA.

Much of the early pioneering research work by K J White, Alan Cameron, John Davidson, and John Smith is detailed in 1966 in the first silvicultural publication Silvicultural Techniques in

Papua New Guinea Plantations. 1966. Division of Silviculture

Bulletin No 1. This publication detailed the development of silvicultural techniques to grow PNG species in plantation format both for industrial plantations as well as individual landowners through extensive extension programs.

Silviculture of Pinus in PNG Bulletin # 5

by JEN Smith in 1970 describes silvicultural techniques to grow Pinus species in PNG.

In following international convention, the term “Forest Plantation” as defined in Forest Resources Assessment 1980 has been progressively refined. The definition used in the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2000 and State of the World’s Forests 2003 was: “Forest stands established by planting or/and seeding in the process of afforestation or reforestation. They are either of introduced species (all planted stands), or intensively managed stands of indigenous species, which meet all the following criteria: one or two species at planting, even age class, regular spacing. New plantation forests are defined as afforestation for artificial establishment of forest on lands which previously did not carry forest within living memory or the past 10 years; and reforestation for artificial establishment of forest on lands which carried forest before. ” By 2022, the Why Forest Plantations4 was addressed in the following scenario.

Globally, population pressures, industrial, agricultural, and mining activities have created an ongoing scarcity and need of wood fibre by regions for fuel and shelter for Man and industry. Natural forested lands have been unable to satisfy these needs. To address these scarcities and needs globally, foresters developed forest tree plantations within a sphere of limited land availability utilising agrarian practices. Those plantations sequester carbon in both trees and soil and help restore biodiversity to previously cleared agricultural lands.

From 1937 with a global annual roundwood cut of 1,500 million cubic metres, to an annual cut in 20005 of 3443 million cubic metres, although accounting for only 5 percent of global forest cover, forest plantations (of some 187 million hectares) were estimated in the year 2000 to supply about 35 percent of global roundwood annual harvest. The most common

4 FORWOOD page 3 PNGAF Magazine issue # 9D4A of 22 Feb 2022. 5 FAO FRA 2000 - Results of the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2000.

genera of global forest plantations are Eucalyptus spp. and Pinus spp. A few species of these two genera constitute about one third of the world’s plantation area.

Since 6FRA 1990, advances in wood utilization technology have resulted in increasing importance of new sources of fibre – rubber (Hevea brasiliensis), coconut palm (Cocos nucifera) and African oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) – especially in the Southeast Asian subregion. These species account for 9.7, 12.0 and 6.0 million hectares of plantations, respectively. All grow in the humid tropics. 7FRA 2000 included these agricultural wood fibre crops.

This magazine addresses not only existing forest plantation wood fibre resources but new sources of fibre which exist in PNG including rubber, coconuts, and oil palm.

Between 1937 (McAdam8 commenced duties in 1938 as TPNG’s Chief Forester) and by 2000, PNG had established some 62,000 hectares9 of forest plantations. The major species planted include Araucaria cunninghamii (Hoop pine), Araucaria hunsteinii (Klinkii pine), Tectona grandis (Teak), Eucalyptus deglupta (Kamarere), Pinus sp as P caribaea; P merkusii; P patula, Ochroma lagopus (Balsa) and Acacia mangium. Minor species planted include, Eucalyptus robusta; Eucalyptus grandis, Eucalyptus saligna, Anthocephalus cadamba (Labula), Terminalia species as T. brassii, Calophyllum sp and Octomeles sumatrana (Erima).

By 2000, of new sources of fibre, PNG had established 25,027 hectares of rubber plantations, 265,000 hectares of coconut plantations and 128,076 hectares of oil palm plantations.

6 FAO FRA 1990 - Results of the Global Forest Resources Assessment 1990. 7 FAO FRA 2000 - Results of the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2000. 8 PNGAF Magazine Issue # 3 of 30th Oct 2020 – Jim McAdam first Director TPNG Forests. 9 PNGAF Magazine Issue # 9D4F PNG Plantation Statistics of 10th March 2022.