An important project initiated by the PNG Forest Authority, called “Operation Painim Graun na Planim Diwai”, will start in Madang Province in November.
This was announced during the Madang Investment Summit recently by the acting managing director of the PNG Forest Authority, Goodwill Amos.
Amos says the tree planning operation is consistent with the National Government’s Vision 2050 and the 2009 National Forest Development Guidelines, to plant up to 800,000 hectares of trees by the year 2050.
The tree planting operation was highlighted as one of the plans by PNGFA for Madang Province.
Other plans for Madang include ensuring a valid and existing Madang Provincial Forest Plan is prepared, pursuable to Section 49 of the Forestry Act 1991.
Other plans announced by Amos at the summit were for the provincial PNG office to conduct a multi-purpose national forest inventory by the second and third quarter of 2017.
Furthermore, Amos says the department intends to increase the annual allowable cut for the Forest Management Agreement (FMA) timber area from 17,000 square metres per year to 56,000 square metres per year.
He states that for the Multi-Purpose National Forest Inventory (NFI), field measurements will start next month (October 2016). 1,000 clusters would be identified and assessed throughout the country.
Amos would see 54 clusters identified and assessed in the second and third quarter of 2017.
(Betty Daniel weeding around a teak tree nursery at Erima village, Astrolabe Bay LLG of Rai Coast district, Madang province. Photograph: James G. Kila)