Seed Supplies

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. Unlike the Queensland Forest Service, PNG then did not carry out crown sample of the viability 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