Pacific Islands FORESTS & TREES AusAID Incorporating SPRIG News, ACIAR Pacific Forestry Update, IBSRAM, QFRI and FSPI News No.2/99 June 1999 Forest and Tree Genetic Resources Workshop INSIDE The Pacific Sub -Regional Workshop on For- The meeting took place at the Conference est and Tree Genetic Resources was held in Room of the FAO Sub -Regional Office for 2 RAS/97/330 Project News Apia, Samoa, from 12 to 16 April 1999. This the Pacific in Apia and field trips were orga- Forestry Dept - Updates meeting was part of a series of workshops nized in Upolu and Savaii islands. The open- 3 Watershed Management Support facilitated by FAO to assist countries and ing address was delivered by the Minister of to 'Etta territories in the preparation of regional ac- Agriculture, Forests, Fisheries and Meteorol- A. Mathias Joins FAO Apia tion plans on forest tree genetic resources, ogy, the Hon. Mafasolia Papu Vaai, who also 4 Assessment of Drum Ovens inFiji following the recommendations of 13th Ses- officially opened the workshop. Buying a Forest for Carbon? sion of the Committee on Forestry (March 6 Invasive Species Database 1997). The meeting, the first of its kind in The international context in forest genetic for Pohnpei Oceania, was supported by Heads of Forestry resources and the aims and goals of the work- American -affiliated PIC/Ts Meet of Pacific Island Countries/Territories (PIC/ shop were presented by Mr Pierre Sigaud 7 Fiji Exports Morinda citrifolia Ts). Invitations to the workshop were sent by (FAO Forestry Department, Rome). Forestry Bamboo Workshop in Fiji the Secretariat of the Pacific Community to matters and genetic resources have received 8 SPRIG News 22 PIC/T Heads of Forestry and to interna- increased attention in the past decade. Al- -SPRIG Update tional, regional and bilateral organizations though no truly global mechanism is yet -Terminalia catappa Linn interested in forest genetic resources, and to available, several regionally -based initiatives -New Project for Screening various resource persons. on forest genetic resources have proved suc- Recalcitrant seeds cessful in framing coordinated strategies and II ACIAR Forestry Update The workshop sponsors and organization in fostering action at national level. Repre- -Soil Nutrient Limitations to committee were the South Pacific Regional sentatives from countries and territories gave Forest Plantations Growth Initiative on Forest Genetic Resources summary accounts of their reports on the 13 QFRI News (SPRIG) and the Australian Agency for Inter- status of forest genetic resources. Participants -Developing Forest Pest national Development (AusAID), the FAO reported the diversity of values and functions Surveillance Systems Forestry Department and FAO Sub-Regional traditionally attached to forests and trees. 14 PACIFICLAND Network Update Office for the Pacific, the Pacific Islands They also stressed that heavy pressures on -A New Millenium, A New Course Forests & Trees Support Programme of the forests and woodlands are leading to an over- 15 FSPI Forestry Focus Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC/ all loss of biological diversity and forest ge- - Using Mangroves to PIF&TSP), the South Pacific Regional Envi- netic resources. In several islands, there is an Save Our Shores ronment Programme (SPREP) and the urgent need for targeted conservation mea- -Reaching the European and Forestry Division, Ministry of Agriculture, sures. In addition to technical considerations, North American Markets Forests, Fisheries and Meteorology, Samoa. addressing land tenure issues and involving Additional support was provided by other local populations were reported as crucial regional and international organizations in- factors in planning sustainable forest man- QUOTE cluding IPGRI, ACIAR and the SPC/Pacific agement. Wide-ranging issues common to German Regional Forestry Project. several countries and territories, and opportu- A man cannot do everything, nities for exchange of experience and know- but that cannot be an excuse The meeting was attended by 60 participants how were identified. for doing bad things. from 18 PIC/Ts and 10 international, regional Thoreau and national organizations and corporations. (Continued on page 5) RIL & Silviculture Workshop - Part 3 The final phase of the PIF&TSP "Training of atu RIL Guidelines and Silvicultural Prescrip- Trainers Workshop on Reduced Impact Log- tions. Participants saw first hand the rapid and ging (RIL) Guidelines and Silvicultural Pre- prolific regeneration, which had occurred just scriptions" was held from 19-23 April 1999, 15 months after sound harvesting practices, as in Vanuatu. Participants were from Papua taught during the earlier workshops. The New Guinea, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Samoa group measured the impact of harvesting in and Vanuatu and included those who attended terms of removed volume, damage levels to the Phase 1 workshop in PNG in 1998. the residual stand, soil and water, and the amount and species of regeneration. These The Phase III workshop was held in a Train- measurements were analysed, allowing partic- ing and Demonstration Forest on Efate Island, ipants to re -visit the Vanuatu Silvicultural Vanuatu that was established using the Vanu- (Continued on page 2) Participants at the entrance of the Demonstration Forest. Vanuatu June1999 Pacific Islands Forests & Trees Consultation on COLP Implementation & Directions for the Future Invitations to the consultation, to be held from Meeting. The Vanuatu Ministry of Agricul- An independent assessment of the status of 12-17 July 1999 in Port Vila, Vanuatu, have ture, Forests, Fisheries and Livestock, will the implementation of logging codes in PNG, been issued. 20 Participants from Fiji, PNG, host the meeting and co-sponsors include Fiji, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands will be New Caledonia, Samoa, Solomon Islands, PIF&TSP, AusAID, USDA Forest Service, carried out from 29th May to 01 July 1999 Vanuatu and resource persons from govern- FAO, Crawford Fund (Aust.),SPC/Pacific and the results will be presented at the meet- ment agencies, NGOs and private sector in German Regional Forestry Project and Japan ing in Vanuatu. For more information on the Fiji, PNG, Vanuatu, Australia, New Zealand, International Forestry Promotion and Coop- meeting, contact PIF&TSP Coordinator Malaysia and FAO are expected to attend the eraton Centre (JIFPRO). (address at back page). Agro-forestry Workshop for Atolls Arrangements for this regional workshop pected to attend. The programme will in- Service/NRCS, Dr. Randy Thaman USP, from 03-16 August 1999, in Majuro, Marshall clude a 4-day component on the construction Suva and Sairusi Bulai of PIF&TSP. Co- Islands on agro-forestry/nursery practices/ and maintenance of wood -fired drum ovens. sponsors will be the PIF&TSP, USDA Forest drum oven are nearing completion. 20 partic- It is anticipated that local women, in addition Service/NRCS and possibly other donors/ ipants from Cook Islands, Tuvalu, Kiribati, to the agroforestry participants, will attend agencies. Invitations to the workshop will be Niue, Tokelau, Palau, French Polynesia, the drum -oven component. Resource per- issuedin early June. For more information, Nauru, FSM and Marshall Islands are ex- sons will be Bob Wescom of USDA Forest contact PIF&TSP Coordinator. Update of Plantation Forestry in PICs Mr. William Oliver of the USDA Forest Ser- visit plantations in Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon A preliminary report on the update will be vice will carry out an update of forest planta- Is., PNG, Cook Islands, Tonga and Samoa. presented at the regional meeting on COLP tions in Pacific island countries from 12 June Forestry Organsiations in these countries and Directions for the Future in July in Vanu- -17 August 1999. Apart from compiling and will provide in -country support during the atu (see above). This update is co -sponsored analysing questionnaires that were sent out by visits. by PIF&TSP, USDA Forest Services and Au- PIF&TSP to all Project countries, he will aso sAID. Forestry Department Update from the Region American Samoa - Forestry Programme Man- ject Forester to become Professor of Forestry Fiji - Mr. Ram Swarup, Conservator of ager, Christopher Jones, has taken up the posi- at Southern Cross University, Lismore, Aus- Forests, Fiji has been seconded to the position tion of Forestry Extensionist for the Univer- tralia. Colin Steele is now the Project of Acting Managing Director, Fiji Pine Lim- sity of Arizona. In December 1998, Dr. Forester. ited. Mr. Laiakini Jiko, the Deputy Conserva- Doland Nichols also left his position as Pro- tor, is now Acting Conservator of Forests. (Continuedfrom page 1) on their techniques for handling landowner Ms. Anna Nenta, Mr. Ben Taupa and Mr. Prescription for that forest type and assess its issues, both at the administrative level and Peter Annable; Solomon Islands Forestry De- effectiveness. Results showed that applica- on the ground at awareness level. This led to partment, and Mr. Gideon Bouro; Vanuatu tion of the RIL guidelines had reduced dam- an extensive group discussion, analysing the Department of Forests, and Mr. Ross An- age to the residual stand by over 50% com- strengths and weaknesses of each method. drewartha. Finally, thankyou to PIFTSP for pared to a control site 'freestyle' logged by initiating and making possible the pro- the same contractors just a year earlier. It was On the final day of the workshop, the partici- gramme. We would like to thank all the obvious that the result of the lower impact pants developed a strategy for future activi- participants in the three phases of the pro- harvesting was rapid and dense regeneration ties at three levels; personal, country specific gramme for their efforts, and will look for- in gaps and along skid trails. During the week and regional. Recommendations were then ward to working with you to implement the the participants looked closely at the purposes developed for presentation at the July COLP knowledge acquired over the years to come. of a Training and Demonstration Forest. workshop to be held for senior level staff Dan Raymond, These included: - (see Project News).