Districts with allocated silviculture research

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 development inthe East and West New Britain forestry development 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

Therewere no provinces pre-independence fully established as they are to 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 visits to the Highland districts. Our research work was assisted by district assistant field officers 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 maintenance as well as monitoring on growth and performance. These officers and staff were 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 Morobe Umi R. Pinus, Euc terete. Some teak and extension. Diversification options As above Rehab.Mid montane sp, trial. Pilot trials

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

Wau As above and Extension. National Park conservation Araucaria. Commercial plywood Prov.Trials. Kamarere seed for wood chip plantation, seed sources of araucaria, Acacia, and other Spp. and Silvi. Research., Commercial and extension

Madang Gogol Kamarere Plantation establishment later Acacia

New Guinea General Brown River. Keravat ENB Teak Plantations; Mahogany, Provenance, Progeny, species trial Seed Production Teak. Commercial and species and provenance trials Clonal orchards prov. And Prog,