University of New South Wales

The first year of this project was occupied with the fuelwood survey, identification of community collaborators,, establishment of two nurseries and establishment of 11 model planting sites covering the highlands and National Capital Development to evaluate fuelwood species and systems.
The fuelwood survey aims to understand the flow of fuelwood and the business environment surrounding it. Approximately 3,000 questionnaires were fielded in the National Capital District (NCD), Lae urban and rural districts (in Morobe Province), Mt Hagen urban and rural districts, (in Western Highlands) rural districts of Henganofi (Eastern Highlands) and Chuave (Chimbu Province). These areas were targeted by the survey because they are known to be fuelwood-stressed. Different questionnaires were presented to urban and rural domestic fuelwood users to assess the physical and social dimensions of their fuelwood and general energy use. Fuelwood sellers were also surveyed. In-depth monitoring of the daily fuelwood use of a representative range of households was undertaken to corroborate the estimates of fuelwood use made in the questionnaires. Our NGO partner, Foundation for People and Community Development (FPCD) undertook the groundwork for this part of the survey. Further understanding of the fuelwood economy was gained through semi-structured interviews of commercial or industrial users of fuelwood (e.g. hot-food vendors, lime burners, plantation factories etc) and institutional stakeholders in the fuelwood economy. This work was done by partners at the PNG Forest Research Institute (FRI). At the time of reporting the survey material is still being collated and analysed.
The aim of planting fuelwood species over a range of field sites and systems to evaluate performance under different environmental and management regimes and to serve as model plantings for communities to evaluate for their own application. The key innovation here is growing trees as short-rotation coppicing (SRC) systems. The experiment is not just to see how the trees grow, but also how the landholders respond to these ways of growing trees
The project has established both densely-planted woodlots (1.5m * 1.0m and 1.5m * 2.0m) and contour-hedgerow, or alley cropping, agroforestry systems (double-row hedgerows with 0.5m along row and 0.6m between rows, distance between hedgerows vary between 5-10 m depending on slope). There are 6 sites in Western Highlands, 2 sites in Chimbu province and 3 sites in the NCD. The species being trialled in the highlands as SRC woodlots are: Casuarina junghuhniana, C. oligodon, Eucalyptus grandis, E. pellita, and E. robusta. The highland alley cropping species are Calliandra calothyrsus, Casuarina junghuhniana and Leucaena diversifolia. The lowland SRC woodlot species in the NCD are Azadirachta indica, Casuarina equisetifolia, Casuarina junghuhniana, Calliandra calothyrsus, Eucalyptus alba, E. pellita and E. tereticornis
The 'species of choice' for highlanders is the local Casuarina oligodon, known as Yar. Yar is an excellent firewood which can be burnt very soon after harvest, but unfortunately it does not coppice. So we are trialling Casuarina junghuhniana which is indigenous to Indonesia, highly suitable for firewood and charcoal and reported to coppice. It is not found in PNG. Our farmers have responded well to the nickname of 'Indoyar' for this tree and are very pleased with its early growth which has far exceeded both the upland yar and coastal yar (C. equistifolia). Calliandra calothyrsus prefers relatively low altitudes and planting it in the uplands at altitudes of up to 2,000m may be considered by some to be 'heroic'. But we hope that it will still perform well given the relatively favourable rainfall (annual average ~ 2,600mm) and temperature (average range 12 - 29C) of this region. So far, so good.
We sought to include indigenous high-altitude (>1500 m) species that could be developed as SRC firewood crops and farmers around Mt Hagen suggested Kumbuk (Thyllanthus flaviflorus). We have seen it grow well and fast from cuttings in a farmer's field but so far our efforts with this species have not produced plants.
The eucalypts chosen include those evaluated in international trials and for which genetically improved seed was used (E. pellita, E. camaldulensis), species with a track record in PNG (E. grandis, E. robusta). as well as the local eucalypt round Port Moresby, E. alba. These will probably best be kept in woodlot systems rather than the hedgerow systems because of their known competitiveness with agricultural crops.
So far the trees in the majority of sites are growing very well and even where they are not flourishing we are still getting good information.
Approximately 18,000 trees have been planted with the on-ground direction of our NGO partners HOPEworldwide (in NCD) and Peoples Action for Rural Development (in highlands). Both NGOs were trained in nursery management and raised the project's seedlings. Colleagues at FRI were closely involved with seed sowing, nursery training and tree establishment.

The project has been operational since April 2008. The initial phase of the project has been successfully completed with demonstration trials established at three Rural Training Centres (RTCs): Tabaka RTC, Western Province; Airahu RTC, Malaita Province and; St Dominic's RTC, Western Province. These initial demonstration plots will be further expanded in the first half of 2009.
Work has begun on developing curricular materials for use by the RTCs at the curriculum development unit of the Solomon Islands College of Higher Education (SICHE). This work is being partially funded through the European Union and is a close collaboration with a similar project introducing smallholder timber plantings into the State School system.
Whilst the plan to establish fully-replicated scientific trials at the Solomon Islands College of Higher Education land on Guadalcanal has not gone ahead, an alternative site has been identified and SICHE students and the students from St Josephs School at Tenaru, east Honiara, are working to prepare the site which will be planted in June 2009. Further scientific trials have been established at Poitete and Ringgi Cove on Kolombangara Island in Western Province. The trial at Poitete will be managed by the trainees of the SICHE Forestry Training Institute when the programme re-commences following refurbishment in late 2009. The trial at Ringgi will be under the management of Kolombangara Forest Products Ltd and will receive normal, operational maintenance.
Thinning trials have also been established on community teak plantations in Western Province and Guadalcanal with further trials to be established on Malaita and Kolombangara. These trials have included students from SICHE, trainee extension officers from the Ministry of Forestry and local landholders as part of a larger effort to introduce thinning into the established community plantings throughout the Solomon Islands.
The timber testing programme which will provide information on the timber properties of different age classes of Solomon Islands provenance teak and compare this with Australian-grown teak from north Queensland has commenced with the delivery of the N. Qld teak to the DEEDI (formerly DPI) timber testing facility at Salisbury in Brisbane.
An addition to the original proposal has seen the involvement of the Hopevale Aboriginal Community in Queensland with the identification and clearing of a mixed species trial area which will feature Teak and African Mahogany grown as the high value species with Eucalyptus pellita (red mahogany) grown as the inter planted species. The project is working in conjunction with Mareeba Campus of the Australian Agricultural College to provide training opportunities in forestry and silviculture related activities suitable for the trainees to find employment in the local plantation forestry industry.

The primary focus of FST/2004/057 is to improve the management of small-holder teak plantations in the Luang Prabang district of northern Laos. The first year has seen significant progress toward the implementation of this project, with all significant milestones being successfully achieved. A three month delay in the commencement of the project has meant that some activities needed to be phased-in over the first two years of the project; however, by the end of the second year all planned project activities will have been completed.
Key achievements in the first year include:
i) Establishment of two Nelder wheels in 2008 - survival of teak in both wheels has been very good during the first dry season, exceeding 90%. Following replanting during May 2009, 100% stocking of the teak in these two wheels is anticipated by the end of the wet season.
ii) Hosting of inception meeting at Souphanouvong University (SU) in October 2008 - the meeting was attended by Dr Russell Haines (ACIAR program leader), Dr Khamphai (President of Souphanouvong University), Dr Mark Dieters (project leader) and Prof Robert Cramb from the University of Queensland, Mr Somphachanh Vongphacsouvanh (Laos project leader, NAFRI), Mr Sianouvong Savathvong (SU), Mr Bounkieng Souliyasack (Luang Prabang Agriculture and Forestry College), Mrs Dao Midgley (Salwood Asia Pacific), Mr Xayaphanh Lasy (D/Director PAFO), Mr Bounchang Lattanovongkot (Tropical Forestry Trust), key representatives of the district forestry offices, and delegates for villages in the target region.
ii) Appointment of all new project staff - Sean McNamara, Canada Sayyalath, Khamphanh Tabongphet and Phonethip Thongda.
iii) Village meetings held during October 2008 and February 2009 to discuss project, and participation of teak small-holder owners who are resident in the villages.
iv) Establishment and initial measurement of 62 paired-plots as part of on-farm thinning trials. These plots were established across 10 villages in 4 districts.
v) Planning and commencement of a series of demonstration plantings including teak interplanted with non-timber crops (including paper mulberry, banana, and Job's tears). Teak planting will begin with the onset of the wet season (expected to be around the last week of May / first week of June 2009).
v) Establishment of a half Nelder wheel and a series of block plantings of teak with varying initial stockings at Souphanouvong University (planting to occur at the onset of the wet season).
vi) Participation in teak growers group discussions led by Tropical Forest Trust in their focus village of Ban Kok Gniew.