Kauri forests in the New Hebrides

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Abstract
A preliminary account is given of lowland tropical rain forest in which Agathis obtusa is dominant on basaltic soils. On the islands of Erromanga and Aneityum the shade tolerant Agathis seedlings often develop in close proximity to the parent trees, usually in small canopy gaps provided by the death or deterioration of Calophyllum and other associated broadleaved trees. There is no accumulation of litter or mor humus beneath Agathis obtusa and no evidence of podzolization was found. Agathis obtusa appears to be one of the most stable components of the lowland primary forest in the New Hebrides and no windthrown trees were found. It is suggested that the emergent Agathis could moderate the effect of hurricane-force winds on the broadleaved canopy but that the smaller canopy breaks allow the growth of previously established but stagnating Agathis seedlings; similar release of Agathis regeneration has resulted from small-scale selective logging on Aneityum.

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