National Forest Plan.

The National Forest Policy lays down targets for the sustainable management and protection of forest resources as a renewable natural asset and their utilization to achieve economic growth, job creation, industrial development and increased viable onshore processing. Furthermore, this policy stresses on the collection of information and improvement of knowledge management relating to the utilization and maintenance of forest resources through forest research, and increased acquisition and dissemination of skills, knowledge and information in forestry through education and training. Administrative and legal framework will be developed to manage the forest resources incorporating national, provincial and local interests. Effective strategies will be formulated to address reforestation and afforestation, establishment of permanent forest estate, carbon trading, downstream processing, research etc. over the period of this plan. These strategies are in line with the Government’s Medium Term Development Strategy and also formulated to address global responsibilities and obligations.
The Forest Development Programme will be implemented based on the 19 Provincial Forest Plans which have been identified in the plans as areas having potential for forest development. In line with the development programme, forest inventory will be carried out over potential forest areas, forest resource acquisition programme will concentrate on priority areas, and allocation of forestry projects will be implemented. Reforestation programme will be undertaken taking into account environmental and social aspects. Private investment in forest plantation programmes and processing plantation material will be actively promoted and be negotiated as part of major timber agreements or as commercial enterprises in their own right. Applied and experimental research will be conducted on wood and non-wood properties and their uses and technical assistance will be provided to industries for processing and utilization of their forest products. Reforestation will be undertaken by the timber companies through appropriate provisions included in timber development agreements or timber permits. Moreover, reforestation will be promoted as a means to maintain Permanent Forest Estate to supply wood to existing and new forest industries. The role of PNG Forest Research Institute will be strengthened to provide scientific data and information for the sustainable management, utilization, conservation and rehabilitation of the nation’s natural forest resources as well as to provide reputable forest research results and information to PNG Forest Authority and other government agencies, private sectors, other research and educational institutions, resource owners and users.
Woodlot establishment, agroforestry and tree planting programmes will be contracted to youth groups in both rural and urban areas and will be promoted and supported by active forestry activities. Community forestry will be developed with the view of empowering rural and urban communities in forest related activities such as small-scale sawmilling, eco-tourism, woodlot farming, harvesting and selling of non-timber products to enhance livelihoods and alleviate poverty. Landowner participation will be promoted in the management and utilization of their resources and projects. The level of domestic processing of timber and non-timber forest products will be increased by establishing a Central Wood Processing Facility, commercializing existing forest plantations, increasing trade volumes of forest produce for domestic and international markets, promoting the marketing and value of lesser-known species and non-timber forest products, and setting standards to regulate all types of domestic processing facilities. Forest plantations will be established for industrial wood, forest genetic resources and rehabilitation.
The environment will be protected from the negative impacts of any form of timber development activities. To this end, the current mapping systems will be improved in order to identify and exclude areas exposed to environmental concerns from timber harvesting operations. All know non-timber products, including carbon will be documented and awareness-raising programs will be conducted for rural communities on issues dealing with them. Eco-forestry activities will be promoted, including harvesting of other forest produce such as medicinal plants, aromatic plants as well as utilizing wildlife resources. Other activities also include preservation of forest ecosystem for eco-tourism and environmental services. Sustainable forest management practices will be implemented by enabling timber legality, verification, traceability and sustainability. Climate change mitigation and adaptation techniques will be developed to increase the value and ecosystem services of the forest resources. Information system based on issues related to climate change will be developed and regularly updated. Training and awareness-raising programmes will be conducted on Climate Change and REDD+ including CDM initiatives to empower relevant stakeholders to manage their environment and forest resources. In addition, landowners and the timber industries will be promoted to undertake afforestation and reforestation activities on grassland and degraded sites.