Reforestation: climatic similarities & species site conditions with common issues and constraints

REFORESTATION: CLIMATIC SIMILARITIES & SPECIES SITE CONDITIONS WITH COMMON ISSUES AND CONSTRAINTS

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INTRODUCTION

• RH Group committed to Reforestation: either Enrichment Planting; Natural Regeneration or Plantation Forestry

• ■ RH has vast experience in Plantation Forestry-Experiences from New Zealand and Malaysia will be drawn to Projects in PNG

• Reforestation Unit - Created & Staff Recruitment in Progress (my recruitment)

• Lands Unit-Created to Look into land issues relating to Reforestation

• Focus on Wawoi-Guavi TRP area –Company has established processing plants and need Resource Security (Replenishment)

• Sizable Land identified in Wawoi-Guavi and Technically feasible for Reforestation.

• Nursery Establishment with carrying capacity of 500,000 seedlings in Kamusie designed by experts from Malaysia in Consultation with RH (PNG) Group

OBJECTIVE

• ● Promoting our Concept for Reforestation – Creating Partnership, Collaboration, Networking and Develop Common Interest

• ● Sustain Resource Base & Operations - Kamusie & Panakawa Processing Plants

• ● Resource/Forest Replacement –Requirement under Forest Policy & Act

• ● Corporate Environmental Responsibility

REFORESTATION IN DEVELOPMENT

• ECONOMIC:

• Timber Products; Carbon credits; Tourism; Minor Forest Products; Diversify Local Economy

• ENVIRONMENTAL

• Carbon sequestration; Wildlife; Aesthetics; Landscape/Biodiversity Restoration

• SOCIAL:

• Employment; Recreation; Fuel wood Taungya/Agroforestry;

SPECIES CHOICE

PLANTATION DEVELOPMENT PROCESS •Reconnaissance to existing plantations incl. Ulabo, Lae (FRI) and SBLC

• Provenance

Seed & Nursery

• Seed & Nursery

• •Nursery designed with carrying capacity for 500,000 seedlings for our proposed Planting Target ( 500-700 ha/yr)

• • Seed Important Reproductive material in Forestry

• • Quality Seed & Planting Stock-Profitable Plantation

• Out Planting & Stand Density

• • Growing Space – Right amount of Space (Spacing depending on Species & end uses)

• Establishment & Management

• • Weeding - Pruning – Thinning : Quality End Product

GROWTH & PERFORMANCE: ULABO, MILNE BAY

GROWTH & PERFORMANCE SBLC

GROWTH & PERFORMANCE –FRI, LAE

SITE PRODUCTIVITY

• MAI (Volume) Kamarere at different age

COMPARISION

MATRIX TO INTRODUCE SPECIES TO SITE (Table 6)

RECOM/CONCLUSIONS

• ● Kamarere, Talis and Taun - primary species - others secondary species.

• ● NFS Provide Policy and Legal Support with Incentives e.g., forgo reforestation levies for companies who are actively doing reforestation or consider counterpart funding.

• ● Reforestation Policy - Drives the Reforestation Projects on the Ground

• ● Consultation with Lands Department, PNGFA and Dept of Environment and Conservation on land or lease agreements –how best we can do reforestation on customary land.

• ● RH commence dialogue with PNGFA - possibility of RH purchasing existing state plantations - reforestation and harvesting concurrently.

ISSUES

• • Land Tenure in relation to Reforestation

• • Ownership: Who owns trees from Enrichment Planting/Natural Regeneration or Plantation

• • Landowner Participation/Benefits (Conflict of Land Use)

• • Reforestation Policy (Excellent piece of Policy BUT still in Draft Form)

• • “The timber industry as a key player needs to actively pursue reforestation. Under this policy the government will address all the factors which have prevented the industry from undertaking reforestation” (PNGFA NR Policy (Draft) 2005 p.6).

• ...We will be thrilled by witnessing this happening…

THANK YOU