
5 minute read
he importance of fire, culturally and environmentally
from PNGAF MAG # 9B-5B4H9 of 30th Nov 2022 Eminent TPNG Forester Neville Howcroft OBE 1965-2017
by rbmccarthy
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
Advertisement
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 for planting. This was usually planted to keep ahead of grass and weed competition, 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 influenced by the amount of effort, time,and cost to keep the peeler blades sharpened compared 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?