Abstract From Young Scientist : Performance of Tree On Fertile and Degraded Grassland Sites In The Markham Valley, Papua New Guinea

By Wake Yelu
Forest Research Institute-Madang PNG

Thirteen (13) species were tested on ploughed and unploughed grassland sites using a randomized complete block design in the Markham Valley in Papua New Guinea. The ten species were Araucaria cunninghamii, Araucaria hunsteinii, Acacia mangium, Anisoptera thurifera, Eucalyptus pellita, Pometia pinnata, Castanospermum australe, Pterocarpus indicus, Pinus caribaea, Intsia bijuga, Calophyllum erruphyllum, Endospermum medulosom and Toona sureni. The sites tested were fertile and degraded grassland areas.

The objective of the trial was to assess the performance of the species on the fertile and degraded grassland sites in Markham Valley and select on the basis of their performance to be recommended for the rehabilitation of the grassland site and for fuel wood and building materials for people in the Markham Valley, Papua New Guinea.

The result indicated that the performance of the species were very good on ploughed grassland areas on both the fertile and degraded sites compared to the unploughed sites. Species such as Eucalyptus pellita, Pterocarpus indicus (Rosewood), Araucaria cunninghamii (Hoop), Anisoptera thurifera (Mersawa), Calophyllum erruphyllum and Pinus caribaea were growing very well compared to others. These species are therefore recommended for planting on grassland area provided proper Silvicultural techniques are applied during the establishment and maintenance of this trees in the plantation.

This report covers the methods involved in the establishment and management of trees on the grassland sites to bring back grassland into productive forest land and addressing the issue of the climate change.

Although the work has been done in Papua New Guinea, the information will be useful for rehabilitation on grasslands in Indonesia because of the similarities of grassland sites and the species composition.