FAO Forestry country profiles - forest management

History

Forest management and silviculture

The original settlers of Palau are believed to originate from Indonesia and arrived in the islands around 3 000 years ago. These early settlers are believed to have cleared extensive areas of forests and the present savannah grasslands on the main island (Babelthaop) are believed to be the result of this conversion. Nonetheless, historically Palauans treasured forests as part of their culture and livelihoods, which were based on Micronesian agroforestry practices. The islands were mandated to Japan after World War I during which time significant development and commercial exploitation of natural resources was undertaken. Some logging took place and mahogany plantations were established during the 1930s. After World War II the islands were mandated to the United States as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands by the United Nations. Since then, commercial timber production has been small scale, intermittent and largely confined to the mangrove forests. In 1965, a Forestry Programme was initiated, and a tree-planting programme was initiated in 1970. Since the late 1960s, the USDA Forest Service has been providing technical assistance including: vegetation surveys, reviews of timber resources, forestry planning, fire protection and fire-fighting training, and soil surveys.