Tree Breeding and establishing Seed Production Areas for Pinus

I collected a weevil that was defoliating P patula. It was a new species and named after me by Dr Len Gressitt of the Wau Ecology Institute. Climatic conditions here suited P patula to flower and produce viable seed.

Preparing for Future Expansion

• Establish species trials at Wabag • Establish seed orchard for P patula By 1967, selection of plantation trees and grafting work undertaken with nursery staff of Bulolo and Goroka.

Mt Hagen John Lowein OIC • Two small botanic gardens • Main nursery collection of acacias; callistemon; casuarina; melaleuca; leptospermum; Pinus; WA eucalypts; rhododendrons; orchids; hoop pine; E deglupta. • Main street and garden plantings of various species Laiagam via Wapanamunda Wabag to Porgera gold mine and Southern Highlands • New tribe just discovered in Hela district • The best airfield was at Wapanamunda – take Fokker.DC3 aircraft for plant distribution later • Lake Sirunki at 2400 m • Laiagam with land for species trails • Laiagam had a large prison. The administrator was a dutchman called Nigel Van Ruth. He had a wife and daughter with him. He ruled with an iron fist. He favoured neither national nor expatriate. In my time he put one of his own expat officers into a cell froe leaving the station for a trip to Wabag in his absences and then rolling the vehicle into the pit pit on his return home. He was keen on forestry development in his area. He provided accommodation; labour and tractor to get the seed production area planted.

Tree Breeding and establishing Seed Production Areas for Pinus

On returning to Bulolo there was little time to waste. With approval from Port Moresby and the local forestry office, I commenced training assistants allocated to me to select seed trees in Pinus at Bulolo- P carribea; P. kesiya and P merkusii. These trees were to be cloned by mainly top cleft grafting. In 1967, I trained three nationals, - William Kaumara; Celsus Levo; Ahoba Lake. They also recorded flowering and fruiting of P caribaea and P merkusii. On leave in Australia, I spent time with Dr Nikles inspected progress of tree breeding and seed production work in Queensland, I secured grafting material of their early good seed trees of P caribaea and P merkusii for grafting work in Bulolo. The P patula shipment was flown for Wabag but around this time the Wabag airstrip was taken over for township development. Small aircraft were diverted to Laiagam airstrip. Main services went to Wapanamunda airstrip which could take the Fokker friendship aircraft. The P patula shipment was transported to site by the Mount Hagen forestry Isuzu (10 tonne) truck. On arrival at Wabag, I was called to the district office by a policeman and introduced to the District Commissioner. His name was Bell. He made no bones about things. He wanted my truck to support his roadworks from Wabag to Sirunki. I had already arranged to assist the ADC – Van Ruth by swapping for his four-tonne truck and driver. Both the DC and ADC

wanted the large tipper to extend their roads in the area. The ADC needed to repair the road and bridge across the Lagaiap River; The DC wanted to extend from Wabag to the top of the mountain near Lake Sirunki. I arranged the exchange. When back at Laiagam I made a similar arrangement with ADC Van Ruth. Both DC and ADC got two weeks each with the big truck. I also used Van Ruth’s tractor for gravel from his limestone quarry for the access road. I slept at Laiagam and then Sirunki – very cold at night. Later trips I stayed with patrol officers and an agricultural officer Verne Burley who was very supporting of forestry. The seedling seed orchard contained a section with open pollinated progeny of 18 of South African parent trees and a second larger section of 12 of Rhodesian parents. Each half sibling family plot of 3 rows of 3 seedlings; all plots located in a replicated and randomly allocated pattern in the source block. Spacing was 3 x 3 metres. The strategy called for the selection of one dominant well-formed tree out of the 9 half sibs. The remainder were culled. On rare occasions, two trees were left out of the 9 half sibs of which a further thinning of the two best remaining trees were made. Boron applications were made to all trees and pruning was applied as per standard prescription but with some restraint so as not to affect seed production. I personally supervised all activities. Frequent tending required to ensure crown development free from grass competition. All family plots were recorded for mapping purposes. Some legume species were added to the area. A P oocarpa provenance trail was established with 10 different seed batches. This included P tecunumannii seed batches under the name of P oocarpa. Byfield forestry station provided several good clones of P merkusii var tapanuli grafted onto P carribea stock.

Grafting at Bulolo also used P kesiya stock for grafting P merkusii. At Goroka, I trained another officer to select seed trees of P patula and to top cleft graft and side approach graft on P patula grafting stock. Overall, we ended up with more than 25 seed trees selected. Some at Lapegu and about 11 at Marafunga and some into the Eastern Highlands. We were also considering P chiapensis. Grafting was onto field stock on a ridge line in C9 Lapegu. Altitude was approx. 2000 m. Staff recorded monthly flowering, cone seed production. Similar actions at Marafunga and Kainantu. After two years of results, it was evident that the seed production area would need to be at a higher altitude than Lapegu. We recommended a portion of the Sirunki plantation near Laiagam. Because of losses due to grafting, a seedling seed orchard was established. Bob Thistlethwaite assisted by contacting a seed merchant in Holland with seed lots from South Africa and Rhodesia.

1970 travelled via Goroka (Alan Ross) and Mt Hagen to prepare the Sirunki seed orchard establishment.

• The Mt Hagen truck’ driver was Mac Duhui after the WW 2 troop ship sunk in Port

Moresby harbour.