1 NEOLAMARCKIA CADAMBA VS OCTOMELES SUMATRANA: IS IT PROMISING FOREST PLANTATION SPECIES? Ahmad Zuhaidi Yahya & Hashim, M.N. Biotechnology Division, Forest Research Institute Malaysia, 52109 Kepong, Selangor, Malaysia The paper highlights the field performance of two native species Neolamarckia cadamba (kelempayan/laran) and Octomeles sumatrana (binuang) after being commercially and trial planted in various part of the country. The species was selected for planting under the Forest Plantation Development Programme currently undertaken by the Malaysian Timber Industry Board (LPKM) and the Forest Plantation Development Sdn. Bhd. for a proposed rotation period of 15 years. To date some commercial and trial plantings were conducted in Kanowit, Sarawak; Sandakan and Tawau, Sabah; Setul Forest Reserve, Negeri Sembilan and Bukit Lagong Forest Reserve, within the Forest Research Institute Malaysia. Despite having data from replicated experimental design and approach, the preliminary results obtained reflect the potential and ecological requirements of both species for good growth. At 4 years after planting the achieved mean annual volume increment were 28.97, 23.25, 8.44 and 31.08 m 3 ha -1 year -1 , trial planted in different sites and topographic positions in Sandakan, Kanowit, Setul and Bukit Lagong. The average diameter at breast height (DBH) was 22.4, 19.0, 11.1 and11.9 cm, while the calculated total height was 14.93, 12.45, 8.19 and 9.75 m respectively. Subsequently, with planted O. sumatrana in Sandakan, the achieved mean annual volume increment and DBH was 19.84 m 3 ha -1 year -1 ; average DBH of 20.5 cm respectively. The variation in the growth and yield may be concluded due to different silvicultural and environmental factors including site preparation, stand density, soil types and topographical position. The short term observation further confirmed the site requirements of the species as being found in natural forests. The importance of site characteristics and the presence of high moisture regime favourable for the growth of species are also discussed. Overall, selection of both species would be appropriate for planting in areas of high water or moisture regime or adjacent to riverine areas. Keywords: growth and yield; high moisture regime Introduction Plantations form part of a continuum of forest lands use from biodiversity reserves and natural forests harvested on a sustainable basis through to intensively managed single- species plantations. Any large scale plantations, which are established without careful land use planning and against the wishes of local communities are potential to attract criticism (Carrere & Lohman 1996). In all situation, regardless of the species chosen, it was noted that short rotation forestry requires good silvicultural practices (including careful management of soils and nutrients) if high yields are to be sustained.
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NEOLAMARCKIA CADAMBA VS OCTOMELES SUMATRANA: IS IT PROMISING
FOREST PLANTATION SPECIES?
Ahmad Zuhaidi Yahya & Hashim, M.N.
Biotechnology Division, Forest Research Institute Malaysia, 52109 Kepong, Selangor,
Malaysia
The paper highlights the field performance of two native species Neolamarckia cadamba
(kelempayan/laran) and Octomeles sumatrana (binuang) after being commercially and trial
planted in various part of the country. The species was selected for planting under the Forest
Plantation Development Programme currently undertaken by the Malaysian Timber Industry
Board (LPKM) and the Forest Plantation Development Sdn. Bhd. for a proposed rotation
period of 15 years. To date some commercial and trial plantings were conducted in Kanowit,
Sarawak; Sandakan and Tawau, Sabah; Setul Forest Reserve, Negeri Sembilan and Bukit
Lagong Forest Reserve, within the Forest Research Institute Malaysia. Despite having data
from replicated experimental design and approach, the preliminary results obtained reflect the
potential and ecological requirements of both species for good growth. At 4 years after
planting the achieved mean annual volume increment were 28.97, 23.25, 8.44 and 31.08 m3
ha-1
year-1
, trial planted in different sites and topographic positions in Sandakan, Kanowit,
Setul and Bukit Lagong. The average diameter at breast height (DBH) was 22.4, 19.0, 11.1
and11.9 cm, while the calculated total height was 14.93, 12.45, 8.19 and 9.75 m respectively.
Subsequently, with planted O. sumatrana in Sandakan, the achieved mean annual volume
increment and DBH was 19.84 m3 ha
-1 year
-1; average DBH of 20.5 cm respectively. The
variation in the growth and yield may be concluded due to different silvicultural and
environmental factors including site preparation, stand density, soil types and topographical
position. The short term observation further confirmed the site requirements of the species as
being found in natural forests. The importance of site characteristics and the presence of high
moisture regime favourable for the growth of species are also discussed. Overall, selection of
both species would be appropriate for planting in areas of high water or moisture regime or
adjacent to riverine areas.
Keywords: growth and yield; high moisture regime
Introduction
Plantations form part of a continuum of forest lands use from biodiversity reserves
and natural forests harvested on a sustainable basis through to intensively managed single-
species plantations. Any large scale plantations, which are established without careful land
use planning and against the wishes of local communities are potential to attract criticism
(Carrere & Lohman 1996). In all situation, regardless of the species chosen, it was noted that
short rotation forestry requires good silvicultural practices (including careful management of
soils and nutrients) if high yields are to be sustained.
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Considering how species selection has actually being done in major plantation projects may
help us to better understanding the process and avoid the mistakes others have made. The
pulpwood project at Jari, Brazil in the eastern Amazon basin started in the 1970s.
Operational plantings of Gmelina arborea were established without preliminary trials and
were a complete failure. Eucalyptus deglupta was tried next and also failed completely,
followed by Pinus caribaea which was marginal. In the late 1980s selected clones of hybrid
Eucalyptus grandis x E. urophylla were found to be highly productive at Jari and now
successfully produce pulpwood requirements (McNabb et al. 1994; Jari 1997). In Peninsular
Malaysia several hundred hectares were planted with Eucalyptus spp. including E. deglupta,
E. camaldulensis in the 1980s, but these failed completely as a result of fungal attack, as
might have been predicted from the failure of earlier trials plots (Ng 1996). Acacia mangium
was the main species in the subsequent plantation programme and some 70,000 ha have
produced reasonable wood volumes despite displaying multiple stems and heart rot that
lowers the recovery of sawn timber (Ho & Sim 1994). The species remained as the prime
species in the both states in Sabah and Sarawak for pulpwood production. Based on this
contexts, this paper reviews two of the selected species currently planted under the Forest
Plantation Programme, Ministry of Primary Industry and Commodities (KPPK) and the
existing growth and yield performance of untested materials of both species planted within 5
selected sites in Malaysia (2 sites in Peninsular Malaysia, 2 sites in Sabah and 1 in Sarawak).
Materials and Methods
Trial locations
The four test and planting sites were located from the lowland to uplands Peninsular
Malaysia, states of Sabah and Sarawak, Malaysia (Table 1). They represented the site types
available for proposed plantations in Malaysia. The two trials in Sandakan, Sabah and Bukit
Lagong, Peninsular Malaysia were on low lying areas, while in Kanowit, Sarawak and Setul,
Negeri Sembilan on the upper slopes with some soil degradation through loss of topsoil
during the previous land use.
The trials in Sandakan, Setul and Bukit Lagong were planted with three replicates of 49 trees
(7 x 7 m square plots) with 2 replicates. While in Setul and Bukit Lagong were planted with
two replicates of 100 trees. Most of the replicate boundaries at the three sites were
surrounded by external perimeter rows of the species. The trials were blanket slashed twice
per year for the first 3 years (Figure 1).
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Table 1 Details of the four trial sites
Sandakan* Kanowit Setul Bukit Lagong
Latitude (N) 5o 54 ‘ 2
o 33’ 2
o 47’ 3
o 14
’
Longitude (E) 118 o 04 ‘ 111
o 83’ 101
o 55 ‘ 101
o 38
’
Altitude (m) 25-30 100-180 75-250 123
Soil Alluvial soil Loamy sand
and clays
Light reddish
loam
Light reddish
loam
Mean annual rainfall (mm) 2750-2900 270-3000 1900 - 2050 2000-2600
Mean annual temperature (oC) 26-28 26-29 26-32 27-32
Site preparation Manual Mechanical Mechanical Manual
Planting time 8/2006 10/2006 8/2006 5/2010
Fertilizer Once/year
NPK
Twice/year
NPK
Twice/year
NPK
Twice/year
NPK
Replicates 3 3 2 2
No. of trees per plot 49 49 100 100
Spacing (m) 4x4 3X3 3x3 3x3
NB: *The Octomeles sumatrana trial plot is in the same location with Neolamarckia
cadamba in Sandakan
Measurement and assessment
The diameter at breast height (DBH) was measured for all tree individuals in the random
samples of trees within the stands. Diameter measurements of trees were recorded using a
metal metric diameter tape graduated in centimetres.
The sample of total tree height measurements were recorded using a Vertex Hagloff digital
hypsometer sampled for all range of diameter classes. The equation was developed relating
measured height with the function of log DBH using height–growth function (Curtis 1967) as
in Equation 1. The height curve equation was later used for calculating height of individual
trees (hg).
hg = a + b*log (DBH) ................................(Equation 1),
where a is the intercept and b, the coefficient.
The basal area per tree (g) was calculated for each tree using formula as Equation 2.
g = ¼ (π × DBH2)/10 000 ...........................(Equation 2),
where π is constant value at 3.1416.
The basal area ha-1
(G) was obtained by totalling the individual values and converting the
results into a ha-1
value using the area factor (1:area of plot) Equation 3.
G = Σ basal area per tree × 1/ area of plot ...............(Equation 3)
The volume per tree (v) was calculated as in Equation 4.
v = basal area × hg × 0.6 ..........................................(Equation 4),
with a reduction factor of 0.6 to allow for stem taper.
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The volume per ha (V) is the total sum of individual tree volumes converted to ha-1
.
The mean annual increment volume (MAIv) refers to the total production of the stand at the
time of study, including removals of the past dividing by stand age (Equation 5).
MAIv = (V + ΣR) / stand age .......................( Equation 5)
ΣR = total removals up to stand age.
Additional information of plantation-grown N. cadamba was also collected including the
distance from water source and topographical positions to determine the effect of these
parameters on DBH growth.
Figure 1 a, b, c, d and e shows the five study sites in Sandakan, Kanowit, Setul and Bukit
Lagong.
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a) Kenangan Manis, Sandakan (N. cadamba)
b) Kanowit, Immense Fleet, Sibu
c) Setul Forest Reserve d) Bukit Lagong Forest Reserve
e) Kenangan Manis, Sandakan (O. sumatrana)
Figure 1 Study sites in five locations in Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia
Results and Discussion
The results obtained from the assessment on the trial and commercial planting of the species
in different parts of Sabah (private plantations), Sarawak (Immense Fleet, Kanowit, Sibu) and
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Peninsular Malaysia (Setul and Bukit Lagong Forest Reserve) are as shown in Table 1, 2, 3
and 4. The achieved growth and yield varies with sites, silviculture management, intensity of