Progress on the project has been excellent thanks to strong working relationships with PNG partner organisations; PNG Forest Research Institute (FRI) and Village Development Trust (VDT). Project scientists spent March in PNG collaborating with FRI and VDT, and a project workshop was conducted on the 13th and 14th March with 23 stakeholders involved in the management of, or deriving livelihoods from, cutover native forests in PNG. Several important outcomes flowed from the workshop; the neglect and ongoing degradation of cutover forest is largely due to poor knowledge of the goods and services that may be available; assessment of this resource is a priority and the goods and services (such as timber, carbon and biodiversity benefits) that are available need to be communicated to communities to ensure they make informed decisions, derive benefit from their resource, and to avoid further degradation.
Group exercises with stakeholders identified several priorities for future project work that would have the greatest impact on community livelihoods; forest assessment methods used by forest certification bodies are labour intensive, inefficient, and possibly biased; this could be ameliorated using a random cluster sampling approach; there are definite market prospects for minor timber species (that dominate cutover forest) when sold as certified product that could provide community revenue; cutover forest needs to be classified according to the products it may provide now and into the future and forest assessment using remote sensing and forest growth modelling based on Permanent Sample Plot (PSP) information is an obvious way forward.
To enable forest assessment work to proceed, project scientists spent time at FRI in Lae cleaning and collating PSP data collected between 1992 and 2008 into an Access database, thus improving the capacity to analyse and report on growth in cutover forest. Based on PSPs, growth model development is underway, and models are being developed for sustainability and scenario analysis at two scales of forest utilisation in PNG; stand models for large-scale utilisation at the forest concession scale and individual-tree models for small-scale utilisation at the community level. The tropical forests of PNG are structurally complex and highly diverse both in structure and the species they contain. Because individual trees in PSPs are spatially mapped, work is underway trying to extricate the spatial competitive processes governing tree growth. Understanding these processes in these rarely studied forests has high scientific currency, and several high impact publications are in preparation. Beyond scientific currency, models will facilitate accurate growth and yield modelling that can inform small-scale community level utilisation.
In consultation with project partner VDT areas for initial assessment work have been identified; the small to medium sized community operations of Sogi in Madang Province, and Yalu and Gabensis in the Morobe province. Baseline community information has been collected, and a suite of remotely sensed optical (LANDSAT 5, LANDSAT 7 ETM, and ASTER) and radar (JERS-1) data over the study areas has been acquired. The Forest Canopy Density Mapper (FCD) has been applied to optical data to classify cutover forest according to canopy density. Analysis of JERS-1 radar data has revealed that forest canopy backscatter is related to tree volume on PSPs. This work is ongoing, but preliminary work in the pilot region indicates the potential for a rapid and cost effective assessment method for cutover forest in PNG.
Forest certification bodies operating in PNG have been engaged, and project scientists participated in a 2 day workshop on forest certification held in Port Moresby on 11th and 12th of March. The benefits of certification in empowering landowners, improving livelihoods, preserving the natural environment, and facilitating sustainable development were demonstrated, and it is a priority that the forest assessment activities underway in this project inform and improve forest certification efforts in PNG.

Progress on the project has been excellent thanks to continuing strong working relationships with PNG partner organisations; PNG Forest Research Institute (FRI) and Village Development Trust (VDT). Key achievements for 2008-09 include:
Collation, checking and cleaning data from 120 permanent sample plots (PSP) measured repeatedly between 1992 and 2008. The improved PSP database is now complete and ready for analysis and the development of new growth models for cut-over forest in PNG.
Submission of two publications to international journals based on analysis of data from PSPs relating to timber and carbon stocks and dynamics following timber harvesting. These publications are a collaborative effort between project scientists at Melbourne University and FRI and will assist PNG with forest management and implementation of climate mitigation initiatives such as Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD). Project scientists also presented three papers at the FORTROP II International conference in Thailand in November 2008.
Development of a spreadsheet for calculating timber volume and carbon stock from forest inventory data. The spreadsheet has been widely disseminated in PNG, and is being used by NGOs and government bodies.
Development and testing of a random variable-radius plot sampling strategy to efficiently assess timber volume and forest biomass. The method provides a more efficient methodology compared to the current 1% stripline inventory approach that is used in PNG. Adoption can facilitate efficient and unbiased forest inventory.
Processing of remotely sensed data and preparation of maps of the study areas. The most effective and readily available data for use in PNG is Advanced Spacebourne Thermal Emission Radiometer (ASTER) data.
Integration of remotely sensed (ASTER) data and a random variable-radius plot survey for the Sogi project area resulting in spatially-explicit estimates of timber and carbon resources. This further improves the cost effectiveness of forest inventory, and be adopted in other community-owned forest areas in PNG.
Reviewing of international market possibilities for PNG timbers. The review suggested that the most suitable markets for small-scale community timber producers are those that offer the highest price and are sympathetic to small volumes and variable quality. Active engagement with forest certification bodies operating in PNG (VDT, FORCERT, FPCD) has helped project scientists understand the formal requirements for certification and the many challenges facing communities in satisfying these requirements.
Extensive training of community based NGO staff, in PNG and Australia. NGO staff have demonstrated improved capacity by independently establishing permanent sample plots, and implementing a random variable-radius inventory.
Good progress by PhD student Mr Cossey Yosi (a John Allwright Fellow) on his project: scenarios for community-based management of cutover forests in PNG.
Presentation of results to stakeholders at a second project workshop 'Improving inventory for timber and carbon in Papua New Guinea' at FRI in April 2009. Participants were provided with an update on project activities, developments in the application of remote sensing and new approaches to ground based inventory for efficient assessment of timber and carbon stocks.
Further information on the project can be accessed online at; http://www.forestscience.unimelb.edu.au/research_projects/ACIAR_Projects.... Information is regularly updated to reflect ongoing project activities and the websites have proven an excellent communication and dissemination tool.