Summation Growth Data Activities 1975-2021

Summation of Scientific Growth Data Activities and Methodologies 1975-2021.

1980 D Alder did an FAO Forestry Paper 22/2 vol 2 Rome titled Forest Volume Estimation and Yield Prediction.

1980 PNGRIS (Papua New Guinea Resource Information System) (Funded by AusAID and PNG). This project commenced in 1980 to 1987 as a joint co-operative research project between the PNG Department of Primary Industry (DPI) (now Dept of Agriculture and Livestock) and CSIRO. It was envisaged as a comprehensive nationwide inventory of natural resources, land use and population for the whole of PNG. At the time of its completion, the forest resources were not included.

PNGRIS No 6 Papua New Guinea inventory of natural resources. Population Distribution and Land use handbook. ISBN 0642196109.

PNGRIS No 2 Forest Resources of Papua New Guinea ISBN 0642196036.

CSIRO Division of Land Use Research Land research series No 35 Vegetation of Papua New Guinea ISBN 0643001387.

1989 FAO funded and undertook a project in PNG titled Forest Management Research and Development FAO: DP/PNG/84/003. B Kingston was the Mensuration Adviser whose working document No 14 was titled FOREST MENSURATION IN THE NATURAL FOREST.

B Kingston working document No 13 of FAO 1989 project Compilation of tree volume tables for the lowland forests. PNG/84/003.

1991 Michael Adams1 reported details of the ITTO/PNG project PD 162/91 Intensification of growth and yield studies in previously logged forest. https://www.itto.int/project/id/PD162_91-Rev.1-F

1992 D Alder Forest growth specialist undertook projects re PNG permanent plots and growth yields. Reports included:

Alder D 1992. Simple methods for calculating minimum diameter and sustainable yield in mixed tropical forest. Proceedings of the Oxford Conference on Tropical Forests Wise Management of Tropical Forests. Oxford Forestry Institute.

Alder D and Synott TC 1992. Permanent Sample Plot techniques for mixed tropical forests. Tropical Forestry Paper No 25 Oxford Forestry Institute.

1995 Forest Resources and Vegetation Mapping E T Hammermaster and J C Saunders CSIRO/PNGRIS 1995 reflects the progress made in mapping PNG vegetation since the 1970’s with the advent of the computer era and associated digitisation.

1997 David Freyne Team leader of the Land Mobilisation Project (ACLMP1) 1997, presented his unpublished report Resource Inventory: Developing the Management Database to the Foresters’ Refresher school FRI Lae 1997, as part of the PNG Forestry Human Resource Development Project funded by AusAid.

David Freyne described the rapid resource appraisal (RRA) of PNG forest resources, the resource inventory and the setting up of the FIM (forest information system) for use by the National Forest Service to assist with management of the forest resources of the country.

In 1987, following the launching of PNGRIS, the Department of Forests requested the CSIRO be contracted to expand the database to include information on PNG’s Forest resources. Following the United Nation’s Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, the World Bank and AusAid supported the concept of a PNG National Forestry and Conservation Action Plan (NFCAP). Considering this development, and the original request from the Department of Forests, AusAID contracted CSIRO to undertake a rapid resource appraisal (RRA) of the nation’s resources. This RRA was the first of a series of studies which has resulted in the Forest Resource Inventory (FIM).

Under the contract to carry out a RRA of PNG’s Forest resources, PNGRIS was upgraded to include 1:500,000 scale mapping of the resource. The upgraded version of PNGRIS with data on the forest resources included, provided users with capacity to make a first level assessment of forest resources at provincial and/or national level.

The forest resource information in PNGRIS constituted the principal data source for compilation of the National Forest Plan and Provincial Forest Development Plans of 1996.

As the primary purpose was to determine which vegetation types carried potential merchantable forest and the species composition and volume content of those forest types, a methodology was developed that could be applied nationwide. This is described in detail in the publication Forest Resources and Vegetation Mapping E T Hammermaster and J C Saunders CSIRO/PNGRIS 1995.

The principal sources of data were the records of the National Forest Service, supplemented with data collected during CSIRO resource surveys, log harvest data and a small number of specified field sampling trips. No attempt was made to calculate the area of each forest type nor to summarise the volume of timber available on a concession, province, or national basis.

The RRA resulted in NFS having 1:100,000 and 1:250,000 scale forest type and vegetation maps for all of PNG but not accessible inventory data. This issue led to a further project funded by AusAID to incorporate forest inventory mapping as a component of ACLMP.

Outcomes of this project by the FIM system for the Department of Forests included:

• Mapping at 1975 baseline from the 1973/75 SKAIPIKSA aerial photography. • Information on the percentage merchantable species composition of each forest type and of gross stocking rate of each type in the FIM from NFS surveys and logging records. • A 1996 update of logged-over areas on the 1975 baseline mapping. • All concession areas (as known at 1966) mapped at 1:250,000 and added to the FIM system. • Production of mapping showing area with serious physical limitations which should be excluded from logging activities.

Alder, D. 1998 PINFORM: a growth model for lowland tropical forest in Papua New Guinea unpublished Report to ITTO, Project PD 162/91.

Alder, D., Oavika, F. and Yosi, C. 1998 Data, programs and models for natural forest growth and yield Unpublished Report to ITTO, Project PD 162/91.

1998, the Forest Inventory Mapping (FIM) System was a computer-based forest resource inventory and management tool installed at the NFS. The original forest resource mapping and compilation of forest inventory information, on which the system was based was undertaken by CSIRO. Reference Sept 1998 Forest Resources of Papua New Guinea. Summary Statistics from the Forest Inventory Mapping System (FIM) compiled by J McAlpine and J Quigley.

2001 ACIAR 1 ACIAR Project FST 98-118 - Planning methods for sustainable management of timber stocks in PNG forests Review of forest inventory and mapping systems for forest planning - report based on trip to PNG from 19-29 November 2001 C. Brack, C. Bragg, I. Frakes, A. Gerrand, R. Keenan, P. Tickle, J. Vanclay.

2001 Peki M Stand structure and growth of logged over natural forest in Papua New Guinea. Master of Agricultural Science Thesis Faculty of Agriculture. The University of Tokyo 145pp.

2004 Peki M The growth analysis and its application for management selective cutting natural forest in Papua New Guinea. PHD thesis graduate school of agriculture and life sciences Faculty of Agriculture. The University of Tokyo 249pp.

2005 ACIAR Project FST98-118 Improved timber inventory and strategic forest planning in Papua New Guinea. Authors include R Keenan, Chris Brack, Ian Franks, Adam Gerrand.

2011 ACIAR Native Forest management in Papua New Guinea: advances in assessment, modelling and decision-making. Editors Julian Fox, J Keenan, Chris Brack and Simon Saulei.

2021 Peki M Progress on the studies of growth of logged over natural forests in Papua New Guinea.

2021 Bob Tate1 PNGFIA advised that currently JICA has completed PNG Forest Inventory part 1 - high resolution satellite imagery 100%. EU is now funding part 2 - ground truthing the satellite data. Up to 600 randomly selected plots - measure everything & species etc.

2021 PNG-FRIMS funded by JICA.