Practices

The islands of Vanuatu generally consist of a narrow coastal plain rising through broken foothills to a steep mountainous interior. Much of the interior is forested and large tracts of these interior forests have been preserved from clearance, because the terrain is too steep and rugged to make agriculture or logging economically viable. These forests serve vital soil and watershed conservation roles, though in some areas they have been degraded by grazing or burning. In the lowlands, however, forests have been extensively logged, or cleared for agriculture. In the early 1990s, Vanuatu imposed a log export ban and sought to implement an annual allowable cut of 25 000 cubic metres. Today, almost all silviculture in the natural forests centres around harvesting. Silvicultural prescriptions currently specify a minimum felling diameter of 60 cm for all species. Replacement prescriptions have, however, been drafted and propose various minimum felling diameters for a range of species based on their size at maturity.

Vanuatu has operated both Local Supply Plantation (LSP) and Industrial Forestry Plantations (IFP) programmes. The LSP programme commenced in 1974 and established around 1 000 hectares of mainly Cordia alliodora. Plantations were line planted in areas of logged natural forests at stockings of around 300 stems per hectare. Intensive weeding was carried out in the first three years. Rotations on the best sites were expected to be 15-20 years. Cordia alliodora has proven susceptible to disease and cyclones, causing enthusiasm for plantation establishment to wane. The IFP programme has also established around 1 200 hectares of Pinus caribaea var. Hondurensis plantations, intended to produce high quality saw and veneer logs for export. These were generally planted on grasslands at a stocking of around 1 100 stems per hectare. The primary silvicultural treatment to date has been thinning to waste.

Forest conservation measures

The formal concept of conservation, protected areas and national parks is very new to Vanuatu; the placing of ¿tabus¿ has been the traditional method used for conserving resources. However, protection by tabu is becoming less effective due to the changing cultural environment and the drive for economic development. At present, a handful of significant protected areas have been established and are being managed by local communities with support from various government departments, with financial assistance from donors and NGOs. These include the Kauri Reserve on Erromango, Big Bay Conservation Area, the Loru Protected Area on Espiritu Santo, and the Nagha Mo Pineia Area on Malakula.

The Department of Forests established a Conservation Unit in 1995 to provide forest conservation information to landowners, collect information on potential conservation sites, monitor existing conservation areas and promote post-logging forest regeneration. A National Biodiversity Conservation Strategy and Action Plan is currently in effect.

Forest protection measures

Insects and diseases have not, to date, been a major problem in Vanuatu, mostly due to the lack of large-scale plantations. Plantations of Cordia alliodora have proven susceptible to Phellinus noxius, a saprophytic fungus that causes stem rot. This has been sufficiently severe enough to cause a cessation of planting on the island of Pentecost. The most significant causes of forest destruction are periodic cyclones. Plantation establishment takes account of species' relative wind-firmness and only cyclone resistant species are planted.

Forest harvesting practices

Vanuatu¿s steep terrain means only about 20 percent of the country¿s forest resource is economically accessible for harvesting. The commercial quality of the natural forests is low, relative to other Melanesian countries, with forests characterized by species with low density, poor form, low durability and low strength. The most important timber species are whitewood (Endospermum medullosum) and melektri (Antiaris toxicara). These constitute around 90 percent of the harvested forest. Harvesting is mainly based on a selection system (targeting whitewood and melektri), although in the past, logging practices in Vanuatu have tended to be poor, resulting in excessive disturbance and significant forest degradation. Logging has been carried out on both large scales, to supply markets for export logs and wood processing facilities on Vanuatu, but also on smaller scales in tandem with portable sawmills. The average commercial sawlog yield is around 15 cubic metres per hectare. Most logging is currently concentrated on the island of Espiritu Santo. The sustainable yield from natural forests is presently estimated to be 68 000 cubic metres per annum. A lack of infrastructure (roads and shipping) and the high costs associated with transportation are major constraints to further forest development. The development of a Code of Logging Practice and guidelines for Reduced Impact Logging (discussed below) are expected to result in significantly improved harvesting techniques.
last updated: Tuesday, November 24, 2009