HOWCROFT’S INTRODUCTION TO WORK ZONES AND DUTIES

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 the vast Nori Kori swamp land. This was later drained and used both by agriculture and forestry.

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 environment to work in. To work here we had to sleep as guests of the Milling 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. The planting stock were delivered by helicopter to the to crest of the ridge. 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