A Parallel Journey John Davidson
(Part 4)
CONTENTS
PART 1
1967 2
Botanical exploration 2
Preparation of a paper for the Ninth Commonwealth Forestry Conference 29
Natural regeneration of E. deglupta 30
Artificial regeneration of E. deglupta from seed 32
Grafting E. deglupta 33
Growing cuttings of E. deglupta 37
Confirmation of E. deglupta as a major native tree species for continuing study 44
I enrol in a Master of Forestry Degree at the ANU 46
PART 2
1968 47
Ninth Commonwealth Forestry Conference 47
Duty travel to Canberra and ANU for initial wood properties examination on E. deglupta 47
Density of the wood of E. deglupta 48
Structure of the wood of E. deglupta 51
Fibre length 51
Statistical design required for the proposed tree improvement programme for E. deglupta 56
Continuation of research on E. deglupta at Keravat 57
Planting trials of E. deglupta 58
Preparation of a paper for a Conference of the Institute of Foresters of Australia 59
Selection and assessment of “candidate” and “breeding” populations of E. deglupta 59
Grafting and cuttings of E. deglupta 60
First visit to Keravat by Professor Pryor of the Department of Botany ANU 62
Helicopter reconnaissance of the Gazelle Peninsula and Central New Britain 66
Flowering and fruiting studies on E. deglupta 69
Emasculation technique developed for flowers of E. deglupta 71
Vegetative propagation of E. deglupta using epicormic and coppice shoots 71
Second visit to the Territory by Professor Pryor of the Department of Botany ANU 75
Wood density variation in E. deglupta 85
Silvicultural Research Conference Bulolo 26 to 30 August 1968 87
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1968 96
Writing up a report on the fibre length and density work to date 96
Ordering of a rifle for seed and scion collection 96
Experimental proposals 96
E. deglupta fertilizer trial 98
Professor Pryor visits Mindanao in the Philippines to examine E. deglupta 98
Vegetative propagation of epicormic and coppice shoots of E. deglupta 99
Lopping and tying down branches of E. deglupta to control height growth 99
Establishment of a trial grafted seed orchard for E. deglupta 100
Ordering of a machine for removing wood samples from standing trees 102
Arrival of rifle for collection of seed and vegetative material from tall trees 103
1969 105
Collection of seed and vegetative material of E. deglupta 105
Grafting and cuttings experiments 105
Move to Canberra to take up PhD studies at the ANU 105
Aims of the experimental work to be undertaken during my PhD 104
FAO Forestry and Timber Bureau E. deglupta collecting expedition to Indonesia 106
Fibre wall thickness and lumen diameter 107
Arithmetic ratios of fibre length, wall thickness and lumen diameter 108
Cross sectional area of fibres, fibre wall material and lumens 109
Arithmetic ratios of fibre cross sectional dimensions 109
Percentage of tissue types by volume 109
Number of vessels per unit area of cross section 110
Mean cross sectional area of vessels 110
Co authored paper for 2nd World Consultation on Forest Tree Breeding 110
Formal transfer to a Commonwealth Postgraduate Scholarship 111
Chemistry of the wood of E. deglupta 112
End of wood parameter measurement 113
Associations among the primary and derived variables 114
The association between wood density and other measured wood parameters 116
Baku Forest Station 117
1970 117
Wood sampling in standing trees at Keravat 117
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Growing plants in controlled environments 119
Experimental methods for growing plants of E. deglupta in the phytotron 120
Provenance studies in the phytotron 122 Fieldwork in Keravat 123
1971 126
Species trial at Baku, Gogol 126
Membership of Forest Research Working Group No 1 Forest Genetics 127
Wood density among random and candidate populations of trees 127
Environmental and genetic variation in wood density 127
Heritability of wood density in E. deglupta 129
Selection differential 130
Selection of propagation population trees 131
Establishment of provenance trials of E. deglupta in Keravat, Dami and Gogol 132
Investigation of heart rot in E. deglupta 133
Volume tables for E. deglupta 135
1972 139
Site Quality computation for E. deglupta 139
Growth and Yield for E. deglupta 139
Completion of my PhD studies at ANU 141
Bridging Report for Silvicultural Research in PNG 142
E. deglupta seed orchard establishment in Bulolo 142
Hybrid eucalypts 145
Hybridization of E. deglupta and E. “decaisneana” 147
Provenance trials of E. “decaisneana” at Bulolo 148
Simulated pulpwood logging at Baku 151
Confirmation of the award of PhD for my work on E. deglupta 153
First species trial at Baku at age two years 154
PART 4
1972 continued 161
Exploration of E. deglupta in the Garaina area, Morobe Province 161
Latest (1972), more detailed description of E. deglupta 164
Second provenance trial of E. deglupta at Baku 168
Reconnaissance on New Britain 170
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1973 183
JANT start up in the Gogol 1973 183
Membership of Appita 187
JANT harvesting and reforestation activities 187
E. deglupta spacing trial, Baku 190
Thinning trials Keravat 1973 192
Heartwood decay in E. deglupta 192
Continuing harvesting plots at Keravat for pulpwood volume table compilation 194
Overseas duty travel to east Africa and New Zealand 195
Travel Bulolo PNG to Johannesburg, South Africa 196
IUFRO Division 5 Forest Products meeting 24 September to 12 October 1973, Cape Town and Pretoria, South Africa 198
PART 6
1973 continued 203
Rhodesia 203
Malawi 203
Zambia 207 Kenya 208
Back to Australia and on to New Zealand 210
Recreation leave in Australia from 18 November 1973 to 3 January 1974 212 1974 212
Visit by Christian Cossalter of the Centre Technique Forestier Tropical Congo 212
Visit to Bulolo by Edgard Campinhos Jr of Aracruz Florestal S A 221
Papua New Guinea Tropical Forestry Research Note series 221
Assessment of E. deglupta provenance trial No 2, Keravat, New Britain in 1974 at age 2 years 223
Second provenance trial of E. “decaisneana” at Bulolo 226
July Oct 1974: Vegetative propagation of epicormic and coppice shoots of E. deglupta 229 Bole shape of E. deglupta 234
Provenances 235
Initial spacing or initial stocking 235
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PART 5
Site quality 236
Tree age and average size 237
Practical implications of bole shape 238
An updated general volume table for E. deglupta 241
Further provenance trial of E. “urophylla” 241
Forest Tree Series Leaflet on E. deglupta 243
Progress report on tree introduction and improvement 244
1975 244
Provenance seed collection of E. deglupta in the Celebes and Ceram Islands May 1975 244
Provenance seed collection of E. deglupta in Irian Jaya, Indonesia, 3 17 June 1975 247
Natural distribution of E. deglupta 261
Taxonomy of E. deglupta 268
Taxonomic characters 270
Measurements on E. deglupta leaves preserved as herbarium specimens 272
Measurements on leaves from a provenance trial at Keravat 277
Single taxon at the level of species for E. deglupta 281
Reprinting of my PhD thesis 282
Permission to publish my work on E. deglupta 284
PART 7
1976 285
E. deglupta progeny trial two years old, Kunjingini 285
XVI IUFRO World Congress, Oslo, Norway 287
1977 289
FAO/IUFRO Third World Consultation on Forest Tree Breeding 289
Post Consultation tour to Coffs Harbour 291
IUFRO Workshop, Brisbane 293
1978 293
Visit to Ulamona to investigate damage to a plantation of E. deglupta owned by the Catholic Mission and impacted by a recent volcanic eruption 293
Industrial Timber Corporation of Indonesia 300
Paper Industries Corporation of the Philippines 302
Jari Brazil 306
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Seed production from the E. deglupta seed orchard, Bulolo 308 1979 310
Conference on Forest Land Assessment and Management for Sustainable Uses 310 1980 310
Visiting Scientist at the CSIRO Division of Forest Research, Canberra 310
IUFRO Symposium and Workshop on Genetic Improvement and Productivity of Fast Growing Tree Species, Brazil 311
Case studies on forest and watershed development in Asia and the Pacific 325
Reprint of Forest Tree Leaflets 326
1983 326
Publication of the papers given at the IUFRO Symposium on Genetic Improvement and Productivity of Fast Growing Tree Species in Brazil, August 1980 326
IUFRO meeting on frost resistant eucalypts 327 1984 328
Award of the Marcus Wallenberg Prize to the research team at Aracruz working on Vegetative propagation 328
PICOP at its peak in 1984 329
1986 329
Data book on endangered tree species 329 1993 330
PICOP revisited in 1993 330
PART 8
1993 continued 333
UNDP/FAO Regional Project FORTIP 333
Publication of Eucalypt Domestication and Breeding 333 1994 334
Second edition of Eucalypt Domestication and Breeding 334
1995 335
Genetic variation in height growth and leaf colour in E. deglupta 335
1997 336
Pulping and papermaking potential of plantation-grown E. deglupta from PNG 336
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2003 336
Molecular studies on Eucalyptus subgenus Minutifructus 336
2007 342
Breeding programme for E. deglupta in the Solomon Islands 342 2008 342
E. deglupta Seed Orchard Bulolo 342 2011 342
Herbarium collections of E. deglupta by K Damas 342
Open Bay Timber Company 344 2013 345
E. deglupta chloroplast genome sequenced 345
ACIAR Project “Facilitating the availability and use of improved germplasm for forestry and agroforestry in Papua New Guinea” 347 2014 348
Reference genome of E. grandis released 348 2015 349
Article on E. deglupta in “The Forester” 349 2017 350
E. deglupta in the Adelaide Botanic Garden 350 2018 350
E. deglupta in “Trees for Life in Oceania” 350 2019 353
Our book on “Eucalypt Domestication and Breeding” 353 Geological time line with reference to some eucalypts 354
Open Bay Timber Plantations 359
Keravat 2019 360
ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS 361
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1972 continued
Exploration of E. deglupta in the Garaina area, Morobe Province
Neville Howcroft conducted an expedition to Garaina in the Morobe Province where he was able to carry out a comprehensive inspection of E. deglupta on the Waria and Mai Ama Rivers, including near the location of the type specimen for E. schlechteri
This expedition provided additional morphological information that enabled a revised description of E. deglupta to be prepared.
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Crossing the headwaters of the Waria River on a suspension bridge. (Photograph: N Howcroft)
E. deglupta near the type locality of E. schlechteri. Even at this distance the broader than usual leaves give the trees a distinctive appearance. (Photograph: N Howcroft)
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Mai Ama River, Morobe Province, 1971.
Above left: Sapling damaged by rocks carried by fast flowing water. Above right: This tree was about the maximum size reached before being shaded out by the adjacent vegetation.
(Photographs: N Howcroft)
Left: Specimen collected and photographed by N Howcroft and, with other specimens, used by him to prepare the drawings of E. deglupta var. schlechteri. The broad leaves and relatively small buds and fruits were a distinguishing feature for the Mai Ama and Waria River localities.
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Latest (1972), more detailed description of E. deglupta
Planted E. deglupta growing near Garaina. Seed was probably sourced locally since these trees have the broad leaves of var. schlechteri. (Photograph: N Howcroft)
Large tree, to 35 60 m in height and 0.5 2 m in diameter, occasionally reaching 80 m height and 3 m diameter; buttresses to 3 4 m height occur, especially on unstable soils; boles of young trees sometimes eccentric or fluted; crowns of young trees conical with definite leaders; lower branches of mature trees often lost leaving crowns of long, raking branches covered with epicormic clumps. Crowns typically are of a depth equal to one quarter to one third of tree height and width one sixth to one quarter of tree height.
Bark: A gum, 3 8 mm thick, decorticating in strips of varying shape and size, leaving a smooth white to pale green surface which ages through light green, green, grey, pink, red and orange to a deep purple.
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Cotyledons: Small, kidney shaped early, becoming petiolate and triangular later, 2.0 x 1.5 mm on 1 mm petioles.
Seedling leaves: Opposite, thin, petiolate, ovate, ovate lanceolate or oblong lanceolate, first 1 3 pairs 2 4 x 0.5 1 cm then 6 10 x 2.5 4 cm. Lateral veins visible, very few, initially 40 50° to the mid rib then curving to form the remote intra marginal vein. Upper surface light green to green, lower pale green to purplish. Seedling stem is often quadrangular.
Juvenile leaves: Opposite, thin, shortly petiolate, broadly ovate, ovate lanceolate or oblong lanceolate and acuminate, 7 11 x 5 7 cm. Lateral veins visible, few, curved to form an irregular, remote intra marginal vein. Upper surface green to dark green and slightly shiny, lower surface light green to greenish purple and dull.
Intermediate leaves: This stage not discernible.
Adult leaves: Opposite to sub opposite, rarely alternate, shortly petiolate, ovate to ovate lanceolate and acuminate, thicker than juvenile leaves, 10 20 x 6 10 cm, occasionally larger. Lateral veins visible, few, initially about 60° to the mid rib, then curving to form the remote intra marginal vein. Upper surface green to dark green and shiny, lower surface green and dull. Leaves and terminal branches held horizontally. Terminal branchlets and twigs are mainly square or flattened in cross section, often with four longitudinal keels.
Inflorescence: Terminal or axillary panicles, 5 20 x 5 18 cm, umbels 3 7 flowered. Peduncles are terete or slightly angular, 0.5 1 cm long. Pedicels are about 5 mm long. Young buds are small, green, with double calyptra, the outer one shedding very early. Developed buds are pale green or cream, globular to sub-clavate, apiculate, 0.2 0.4 x 0.2 0.5 mm. Inner calyptra is hemispherical, apiculate, wider than long. Flowers with many white to pale yellow stamens, 2 10 mm long, strongly reflexed in the unopened bud; anthers versatile, rounded oblong, auriculate, translucent, with a glossy terminal gland, dehiscing by separate slits. The red brown residual staminal ring is sometimes deciduous after drying. Fruit pedicellate, hemispherical; valves 3 5 occasionally more, thin, deltoid, curved, exserted to 2 mm making the capsule appear globular, 3 5 x 3 5 mm; disc very narrow. Mature fruits are brown to dark brown, containing 3 12 well formed seeds per valve. Seeds minute, elongate, flattened, with a small, tail like terminal wing. Hilum ventral. Viable seeds 100 1,400 per gram.
Habitat and ecology: The best developed stands occur on riverain sites less than 150 m above sea level in New Britain, PNG. The range in altitude is from sea level to 2,500 m. Well developed coastal stands
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occur where mean monthly maximum ambient temperatures range from 24 33°C. Inland at higher elevations (above 300 m), mean monthly temperatures range from 13 27°C. Average daily humidities range from 78 90% in the coastal lowlands and from 60 80% in the highlands. Most of the natural stands occur between the 2,500 and 3,500 mm mean annual rainfall isohyets. Some sites receive up to 5,000 mm per annum. Prolonged dry seasons (mean monthly rainfall less than 100 mm) rarely occur. The species develops well on deep, moderately fertile sands and sandy loams on river flats where soil moisture is adequate but not excessive. Growth is severely impeded on waterlogged, heavy clay, impermeable soils. The species tolerates brief flooding but does not tolerate long periods of standing water and swampy conditions. Suitable soils are found on higher slopes where the species is able to colonise landslides and recent volcanic ash or pumice deposits. The species is very adversely sensitive to fire and weed competition
Reference specimens: The type specimen described by Blume was in leaf only. Other suitable representative reference specimens include: Keravat River, 1968, Pryor and Davidson 101607, 9 (LAE) and Vudal River, 1968, Pryor and Davidson 101604 6 (LAE).
Taxonomic tree: Domain: Eukaryota; Kingdom: Plantae; Phylum: Spermatophyta; Subphylum: Angiosperme; Class: Dicotyledonae; Order: Myrtales; Family: Myrtaceae; Genus: Eucalyptus; Species: Eucalyptus deglupta.
Common names:
The trade name (from PNG Pidgin English and the Tolai tribal name) is Kamarere. Other names used include: in Indonesia leda (generally), aren (Maluku Islands), galang, kaju leda (Sulawesi), kaju patola (Ceram), djewo (West Papua); and in the Philippines amamanit, bagras, banicag, Mindanao Gum. In recent times the species has attracted worldwide interest from tropical gardeners because of its colourful bark and has been called Rainbow Eucalypt, Painted Gum and Rainbow Gum.
Caption for next page: E. deglupta: 1. A typical, near even aged, mature stand located on the bank of the Toriu River on New Britain, PNG. 2. Bark on lower trunk. 3. Opposite to sub opposite adult leaves, leaf marked “x” turned to show the underside. 4. Young buds in terminal and axillary panicles, outer calyptra already lost. 5. Buds at anthesis. 6. Flowers two days after anthesis, stigmas elongated and receptive. 7. Tip of branch with heavy crop of maturing capsules. 8. Near mature capsules 5 mm in diameter. 9. Woody capsules after seed shed, about 4 mm in diameter, each with four thin, curved, deltoid, exsert valves. (Scale bar is 10 cm long, marked in 1 cm intervals.)
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Second provenance trial of E. deglupta at Baku
A second provenance trial of E. deglupta was established in Compartment 3, Baku in the 1971/1972 planting season. Wilelo, Pota Galai, Keravat, Raba Raba, Mingende, Philippines (1 and 2) and Sulawesi were included in four replications, except for Pota Galai and Sulawesi, which had only a single plot each because of shortage of stock. The layout was pegged in advance as nine plots arranged in a square for each block. Plots were square comprising 6 x 6 = 36 trees with the inner 4 x 4 = 16 trees intended to be measured. Since only eight provenances were raised, one of the nine plots in one block was planted with surplus Keravat or Philippines stock, and three of the nine plots planted similarly in the other three blocks where Pota Galai and Sulawesi were also absent. Surplus stock, mainly of Philippines and Keravat origin, was planted in blocks around the provenance trial. Some of the Keravat block planting was affected by poor drainage and waterlogging. The Philippine blocks represented strategic material for several reasons. One was that it was unlikely similar material could be obtained from Mindanao in the future. Second, selection within these blocks would yield superior trees for breeding a second (Philippines) sub line for PNG. This would open up possibilities of multiple population breeding as well the creation of provenance hybrids such as Philippines x Keravat combinations and their mass clonal multiplication.
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E. deglupta provenance trial in Compartment 3 Baku in late 1972 shortly after planting. The numbers 1 4 are the square blocks (replications), each of nine square plots of 36 trees. There was already some indication of differences among provenances. Most of the remaining area visible here between the two streams was planted up in provenance blocks using the surplus stock.
Above and below: E. deglupta provenance trial in Compartment 3 Baku in 1973. Plots (6x6 trees) in Block 1 were: 1. Philippines (1), 2. Pota Galai, 3. Philippines (2), 4. Mingende, 5. Sulawesi, 6. Routine, 7. Wilelo, 8. Raba Raba, 9. Keravat. Surrounds visible above include the two Philippines and the Keravat provenances planted in blocks. As shown above and below differences among provenances were already obvious, including the slightly glaucous appearance of the provenances from the Philippines (1 and 3) in comparison with the provenance from Keravat (9).
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Reconnaissance on New Britain
Jack Simpson (pathology), Dave Lamb (soils and nutrition) and I (silviculture and tree breeding) together undertook an extensive excursion to New Britain in June 1972.
First was a visit to the provenance trial of E. deglupta at Keravat established in 1970/71.
The 1970/71 provenance trial of E. deglupta, Keravat, age about one year. Left: The better Keravat, Wilelo and Philippines provenances, with Jack Simpson in the distance on a very muddy track. Right: The poorer Mingende, Raba Raba and Celebes provenances.
Jack Simpson was interested in fungi associated with E. deglupta like the one pictured, particularly any of those that might form a mycorrhiza.
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The track to and from the provenance trial was muddy and slippery. At one point the vehicle we were in slipped off the track. Fortunately, a bulldozer was not far away and we were able to tow the vehicle back on to the track and proceed. I am in grey, Dave Lamb in dark shorts. (Photographs: J Simpson)
At Keravat E. deglupta poles were being treated with preservative for installation in electricity transmission lines. A sap replacement method was being used. Commonly known as the Boucherie Process, this method is applied to round timbers in the green condition with bark on and relies on gravimetric hydrostatic pressure to force the preservative from the butt end of the log through to the other end displacing the sap from the cell lumens which trickles out the top end. A water soluble solution of a copper chrome arsenate salt (CCA) was used. A metal cap was fitted over the butt end of freshly cut poles and sealed around the pole with air filled canvas or car tire inner tube sleeves. A flexible tube connected the cap to a reservoir of preservative held as high as possible. The process is complete in each pole when preservative instead of sap is observed to be emerging from the top end.
Two criteria are required to be fulfilled by this method: Sapwood thickness: Only the sapwood shell is treated, so the sapwood should not be less than ½ the radius of the log, and, Wood structure: In hardwoods the longitudinal flow is only through vessels. CCA will only diffuse a short distance in a lateral direction. It follows that a species with relatively large, close together and uniformly distributed vessels are the best candidates.
Young Kamarere poles fitted these requirements very well. A cross section of Kamarere wood is shown here on the right about 5x natural size.
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Canvas sleeve used to achieve a leak proof seal between the butt end of the pole and the metal cap (recently removed before this photograph was taken, so not shown here) through which the preservative was introduced.
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Kamarere poles undergo preservative treatment using the sap replacement method.
A brief visit to the trial seed orchard for E. deglupta in Fryar LA revealed the patch grafts were superior to the top cleft grafts for long term survival. The wide 15m spacing had allowed open crowns to develop which would be ideal for seed collection.
Next was a trip along a newly formed track from Keravat through Vudal and Vunapaliding and on to Open Bay to look areas of E. deglupta natural forest where harvesting was underway.
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Left: Me at the log dump, Open Bay. One of the logs here has a small pipe, the remainder are solid. Right: On the way to Bialla, Dave Lamb (front) and I (right) examine the depth of volcanic ash that had built up around the base of this E. deglupta tree in a recent eruption and here exposed during logging road construction.
(Photographs: J Simpson)
The logging areas at Open Bay in 1972 were especially muddy in places. Dave Lamb is on the log in the bottom right photograph.
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Natural stand of E. deglupta, near the Toiru River.
Left: Logging track in the Bakada LA west of the Pandi River in 1972. In the right hand photograph logs of E. deglupta ranged from 60 to 80 cms diameter and were solid to the pith. Muddy tracks were a challenge here as well at the time.
On the way back to Keravat on the recently opened track from Open Bay the driver left the vehicle parked on a slope without the handbrake on while we were in the forest. On emerging back on the track, we found the vehicle missing and an agitated driver reported “Masta, me planim kar long hap”. The vehicle had rolled backwards and toppled over the side of the track! Since it seemed stable, I climbed in to retrieve our personal possessions. We were fortunate to almost immediately hitch a ride on the back of a vehicle heading to Rabaul. We were fortunate because back then perhaps only two or three vehicles passed that way per week. This vehicle was recovered by the Transport Department some days later. (Photograph: J Simpson)
The next part of our New Britain reconnaissance was undertaken on a government workboat proceeding from Rabaul along the north coast in a south westerly direction to Cape Hoskins. This was a new experience. Dave, Jack and I had separate cabins. Meals were great. The accommodation was covered by an accommodation warrant in the same way that payment would made to a hotel while on duty travel.
Most of the journey we had the company of dolphins that appeared out of nowhere and kept pace for a while then went away presumably to be replaced by others in relay.
The first sortie from the workboat was by motor dingy into the Sai River to see natural stands of E. deglupta. I was able to find the site of Pad 2 on the riverbank that I had landed on back in the helicopter
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supported survey of 1967. This pad had been cut into sapling sized growth. Regeneration had taken place and new saplings had reached the same size as the original growth. All of these new saplings seemed to have originated from seed deposited in the cleared area, there was no indication that any of the cut stumps had coppiced.
Top left: As revealed in the helicopter reconnaissance in 1968, the first few kilometers of the Sai River from its mouth comprised placid meanders with rainforest up to the water’s edge and no suitable places for E. deglupta regeneration to take hold. (Dave Lamb under the hat.) Top right and bottom left and right: Several kilometers had to be travelled before E. deglupta appeared as occasional emergents.
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The workboat heaved to off the coast adjacent to Mount Ulawun. Dave Lamb and I were rowed ashore to find and inspect a mixed forest of E. deglupta and Casuarina sp. on the narrow coastal plain (left). As sundown approached, we were rowed back to the workboat (below: Me, and Dave Lamb on the left, photograph: J Simpson).
The next task was to land on Lolobau Island. Lolobau volcano forms the island about 6.5 km off the coast adjacent to Ulamona. It is 13.7 km long (east west) and 9.7 km wide (north south). The caldera of the volcano is about 6 km across and contains a small lake and a smaller and younger volcano called Mt. Lolobau. E. deglupta was found in some near pure stands in places, associated with Casuarina sp elsewhere, and as persistent emergents surrounded by rainforest.
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We were underway again on the workboat overnight, then off the coast of New Britain near sunrise and heading southwest along the coast. In the distance to the northeast is Mt Ulawun (“The
and behind it Mt Likuranga (“The North Son”), nearer on the right is Mt Bamus
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Above: E. deglupta (arrows) on Lolobau Island. Right: I inspect a lone E. deglupta (middle) surrounded by rainforest on Lolobau Island. (Photograph: J Simpson)
Father”)(taller cone)
(“The South Son”).
The following day we disembarked at the seawards end of the Hoskins airstrip. We proceeded by road southwest to the nearby research plantations at Dami (map). There we visited the provenance trial of E. deglupta and surrounding plantations, as well as the natural forest on the Ko River.
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Above: E. deglupta provenance trial, Dami, age about one year. Jack Simpson is looking for fungi on the ground. Standing behind him is John Dalton, Research Officer, Dami Forestry Experimental Station. Dave Lamb (white hat) is directing the sampling of leaves to take back to Bulolo to determine their nutrient content. Left: Vines were especially prevalent in the Dami plantations, causing strangulation of young E. deglupta. Additional tending operations were required to keep the vines under control.
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At the end of the New Britain tour, we boarded a scheduled TAA Twin Otter flight at Hoskins airport to fly to Lae then back to Bulolo. In the background is Mt Mululus.