Další medailonky - Ing. Karel Michalik - přílohy 1. a 2.

Appendix I.

Ifloma, E. E., Mozambique

I was employed by Ifloma State Company in Mozambique since November 1983 to November 1984 in the Management Group of 25 Czechoslovak wood processing and forestry experts. I was responsible for management of all Ifloma s forest nurseries. In cooperation with local nursery managers I had to prepare plans of all componenets necessary for growing mainly southern pines.

At the beginning of the production period I had to find out a source of suitable substrate (top soil). During the chain of substrate operations period – top soil collection, transporting, processing and container filling – there were about 120 people working altogether in the central Ifloma s nursery in Bandula. It was pretty difficult to organize the work smoothly.

The crucial operation in the nurseries was sowing of pine seeds. I had to control the work very carefully as there was a common tendency among the workers to sow the seed too deeply to avoid sprout drying. Yet, I have to admit a failure of a part of Pinus kesyia sowing caused by this incorrect way of sowing.

Besides Pinus kesyia there were also other pine species grown in Infloma s nurseries. They were P. elliottii, P. taeda and P. patula. We also started to grow Pinus caribeae var. Hondurensis and P. oocarpa in a trial amount. In addition of southern pines we produced also some small amount of Cupressus Iusitanica and some Eucalyptus species – mainly E. saligna and E. grandis.

There regularly occurred dormant seedlots of some pine species, mostly that of P. taeda and P. patula. P. elliottii was dormant only seldom and it often didn t require dormancy breaking treatment. The pre-sowing treatment which I introduced to Ifloma s nursery practice was simple but effective. It was described in Forest Nursery Practice in Rhodesia by R. L. Barrett, the Rhodesian Bulletin of Forestry Research No. 4, Rhodesia Forestry Commission, 1983. The treatment consisted of soaking the seed in an ambient temperature water for 24 hours and a successive wet storage in constant temperature 3-4 oC for up to 63 days. (We used to store the seed about 40 days and the results were excellent. The germination was even and fast.)

Pricking out and following transplanting operations were also important. They were often misperformed so that I had to supervise this part of nursery operations were carefully, too. Shading, watering, weed and fungi control and root cutting were also parts of my responsibility.

To meet Ifloma s need of plants for reforestation and afforestation the company had a great demand for forest tree seeds. Mostly the seeds were imported from neighboring Zimbabwe or Latin America. In those cases the seeds were certainly pretty expensive. Ifloma s management decided to try to find her own sources of forest tree seeds. The team of experts headed by Dr. Dag Rudin from Sweden (FAO forestry expert in Maputo that time) was formed. I was also appoited to the team and I participated in all its activities.

We were searching for adult pine stand and looking for superior individual trees as well as for above averaage quality stands for seed collection. The selected Seed Collection Areas were marked and put into the maps and the locations were described, as were the routes to particular places. After the field mission was accomplished the team also set down the criteria shich should be considered during guture superiot trees and/or seed collection stands procurement.

During the whole time of my being Ifloma I was deeply engaged into the on-job-training. I was teaching the local workers and supervisors in the nurseries permanently (where the language barrier allowed it). At the end of my temporary stay with Ifloma I planned, designed and finally led the the theree-day course on seed and nursery production practice for Ifloma s senior forest nursery staff.

Appendix II.

Enso forest development oy Ltd (Finland), Indonesia

From 1/1991 to 12/1992

The Central Nurseries Establishment Project (CNEP) Research and Development Advisor s duties were described in The Project Document as follows:

1. planning and organization of seed supply,

2. planning and organization of substrate tests,

3. planning and organization of vegetative propagation tests,

4. preparation of intermediate and final plans and reports.

The duties then were fulfilled in a following way:

Seed:

Planning of organization of seed supply was based on the species and amount of seedlings required by customers of particular Central Nurseries. Due to previous research and experience of EFD staff in Indonesia as well as due to relevant information gained from some world-wide forestry information bases the potential exotic species or provenances were selected.

From the list of (Indonesian) authorized forest tree seed dealers the most suitable ones for concerned species were chosen. Than the conditions of seed storage and seed handlig were checked up and seeds were ordered.

To appropriate seed planning and supply, tree improvement and genetic base conservation activities were tightly connected. Thus, I was searching and following information (either in Indonesia or abroad) on tree species supposed to be grown in the Central Nurseries – mainly Acacia mangium, Paraserianthes falcataria, Pinus mercusii and Eucalyptus urophylla. I tended to check up particular trial areas and seed collection areas or seed orchards and gained as much information on particular tree species as possible. (To gain such information from private forestry companies in Indonesia seemed to be extremely difficult.)

The research cooperation on base population establishment was also started. Together with Mr. Vuokko from ATA – 267 Project (alang-alang reforestation techniques development) and after consulting Dr. D. G. Nikles from Queensland Forest Service, Australia we designed and established tvo (out of three) Acacia mangium multiclonal provenance trial plots. The one situated near Padang Lawas Central Nursery in North Sumatra was designed and established by me personally.

Substrate:

The Central Nurseries Establishment Project was aimed to establish seven Central Nurseries in six Indonesian provinces. Thus, we had to face very different natural conditions. In several places where some of the Central Nurseries were to be set up, no peat was available in an economically acceptable distance so that we were complelled to use other substrate-base-materiual instead of peat. Since top soil was not appropriate for implemented technology (ENCO pot-trays) we were to find out alternate material for potting mix preparation. Together with my Projct fellows, mainly C. Nurseries managers, I concentrated attention on plant-origin materials such as bagasse, sugar factory filter mud (cake), cassava waste and rice husk.

Usually we used such a plant-origin material to compost it with either manure or synthetic A-rich fertilizer. Nevertheless, we also tried to use pretty fresh bagasse for seedling production and the results were rather good.

After the decomposition of the raw plant-origin material was completed, in order to improve its physical properties, we mixed the compost with rice husk. Since some of the chemical characteristics of such a material was not sarisfactorily, further regular fertilization was essential.

Procurement of potting mix raw material and sample collection for laboratory analyses belonged to my field duties, too. Also procurement of suitable soil laboratory (accurate and fast enough, reasonably priced), ordering of a kind of analyses and the interpretation of the laboratory results as well as recommendation coming up from the results were also an essential part of my duties connected to substrate.

Vegetative propagation

Since the Project was not equipped with any right trial facility it was necessary to find a place where research work could be performed. Such a place was found in Forestry Faculty of Agricultural University in Bogor. Enso Forest development oy ltd funded a greenhouse renovation. EFD also funded all further necessary works and equipment such as well digging, automatic irrigation systém and all other necessary components for successful vegetative propagation experimentation. The trial with Acacia mangium and Paraseriantes falcataria cutting were started in the greenhouse once the reconstruction was over. Other experiments, aiming in an optimal rooting medium composition finding, plant hormone concventration and time of application, and other potentially influential matters were also prepared to be examined in the future, that time.

Reporting

Beides regular Quarterly Reports on R&DA activities I prepared publishing of several Silviculture Notes on some important fast growing forest tree species to be grown in the C. Nurseries.

But not only just mentioned Reports or Notes were prepared. All trials which were performed within CNEP should have been finished by issuing the Final Report with the recommendations for an application of the results in the seedling production in Central Nurseries. Ig there were some technological improvements e. g. The case of manured bagasse composting or cassava waste mixing, the formulas and procedures were cescribed and published.

For all these kind of publications many information were necessary to be collected. This also used to be one of my responsibilities. Procurement, assessment and evaluation, compilation and des-top publishing of selected information on particular topic and the new publication s dissemination among the Project staff belonged to my long-term duties and responsibilities.

Last but not least, collection of information in printed form (off-prinst of articles published in special magazines, forestry and other monographs, and other different forms of publications) and running of the Project Library was also a part of my responsibility.

I was also collecting samples of raw material used for potting mix formation as well as ready-to-be-filled substrate (potting mix) for demonstration purposes. Collected also were samples of seed of selected fas growing species to be grown in the C. Nurseries. All these samples were exhibited in Project s Office in Jakarta.

I also assisted CNEP s Training Advisor by providing him special nursery and silviculture information. Finally I worked with him in preparation of different kinds of training materials (booklets, brochures, manual etc.).