Judy Bennett, an Australian living in New Zealand, grows roses and vegetables and teaches history at the University of Otago, Dunedin in Te Wai Pounamu (the South Island). In the 1970s, after teaching for some years in Papua New Guinea, she extended her interest in Pacific History through her post-graduate work, which led her to the Solomon Islands. Outcomes of this were her award-winning book, Wealth of the Solomons: a history of a Pacific Archipelago, c. 1800-1978 (Honolulu, 1987), a classic in its field, as well as two books for Solomons' high school students. She has written also on aspects of labour history in Hawaii, Solomons, Fiji, and Queensland and on colonial administration in New Guinea.

'A brilliant synthesis of historical scholarship, mining almost all conceivable sources ... It is a book that will be used by Pacific Scholars, especially Melanesianists worldwide, for decades to come.' Tim Bayliss-Smith, University of Cambridge; 'This volume represents a massive research undertaking, and covers almost all conceivable topics of relevance to the forests of the Solomon Islands.' Wardlow Friesen - Journal of the Polynesian Society; '... shows how and why rural people have had few viable alternatives for making their way into the modern economy.' Kathleen Barlow - Contemporary Pacific; 'Ambitious in its conception, the book is a major contribution to our understanding of the relationships between the development of natural resources and a country's political dynamics.' Tarcisius Tara Kabutaulaka - Journal of Pacific Studies

• AcknowledgmentsIntroductionChapter 1. Solomons ForestsChapter 2. To Open the ForestChapter 3. A Great Coconut EstateChapter 4. From the Shortlands to Santa Cruz: Beginning the Timber IndustryChapter 5. The Vanikoro Kauri Timber CompanyChapter 6. World War Two: Focus on ForestsChapter 7. Domestic Needs and Overseas Markets, c. 1950-1963Chapter 8. The Government is but a Stranger ...Chapter 9. The Forestry Department and the Control of Species, c. 1960-1980Chapter 10. Contest for the Forests, c. 1963-1985Chapter 11. Attempts at Control? c. 1980-1990Chapter 12. Aiding the ForestsChapter 13. Provincial Ambitions, Community Aspirations: The Western Islands, 1985-1995Chapter 14. Provincial Ambitions, Community Aspirations: Central and Eastern Islands, 1985-1995Chapter 15. Profits and Loss, c. 1982-1996Chapter 16. Contested State: Contest of States, 1993-1997Conclusion. The Forest, Contested and UncontestedAfterwordAppendicesNotesBibliographyIndex

Judy Bennett, an Australian living in New Zealand, grows roses and vegetables and teaches history at the University of Otago, Dunedin in Te Wai Pounamu (the South Island). In the 1970s, after teaching for some years in Papua New Guinea, she extended her interest in Pacific History through her post-graduate work, which led her to the Solomon Islands. Outcomes of this were her award-winning book, Wealth of the Solomons: a history of a Pacific Archipelago, c. 1800-1978 (Honolulu, 1987), a classic in its field, as well as two books for Solomons' high school students. She has written also on aspects of labour history in Hawaii, Solomons, Fiji, and Queensland and on colonial administration in New Guinea.

'A brilliant synthesis of historical scholarship, mining almost all conceivable sources ... It is a book that will be used by Pacific Scholars, especially Melanesianists worldwide, for decades to come.' Tim Bayliss-Smith, University of Cambridge; 'This volume represents a massive research undertaking, and covers almost all conceivable topics of relevance to the forests of the Solomon Islands.' Wardlow Friesen - Journal of the Polynesian Society; '... shows how and why rural people have had few viable alternatives for making their way into the modern economy.' Kathleen Barlow - Contemporary Pacific; 'Ambitious in its conception, the book is a major contribution to our understanding of the relationships between the development of natural resources and a country's political dynamics.' Tarcisius Tara Kabutaulaka - Journal of Pacific Studies

• AcknowledgmentsIntroductionChapter 1. Solomons ForestsChapter 2. To Open the ForestChapter 3. A Great Coconut EstateChapter 4. From the Shortlands to Santa Cruz: Beginning the Timber IndustryChapter 5. The Vanikoro Kauri Timber CompanyChapter 6. World War Two: Focus on ForestsChapter 7. Domestic Needs and Overseas Markets, c. 1950-1963Chapter 8. The Government is but a Stranger ...Chapter 9. The Forestry Department and the Control of Species, c. 1960-1980Chapter 10. Contest for the Forests, c. 1963-1985Chapter 11. Attempts at Control? c. 1980-1990Chapter 12. Aiding the ForestsChapter 13. Provincial Ambitions, Community Aspirations: The Western Islands, 1985-1995Chapter 14. Provincial Ambitions, Community Aspirations: Central and Eastern Islands, 1985-1995Chapter 15. Profits and Loss, c. 1982-1996Chapter 16. Contested State: Contest of States, 1993-1997Conclusion. The Forest, Contested and UncontestedAfterwordAppendicesNotesBibliographyIndex

Judy Bennett, an Australian living in New Zealand, grows roses and vegetables and teaches history at the University of Otago, Dunedin in Te Wai Pounamu (the South Island). In the 1970s, after teaching for some years in Papua New Guinea, she extended her interest in Pacific History through her post-graduate work, which led her to the Solomon Islands. Outcomes of this were her award-winning book, Wealth of the Solomons: a history of a Pacific Archipelago, c. 1800-1978 (Honolulu, 1987), a classic in its field, as well as two books for Solomons' high school students. She has written also on aspects of labour history in Hawaii, Solomons, Fiji, and Queensland and on colonial administration in New Guinea.

'A brilliant synthesis of historical scholarship, mining almost all conceivable sources ... It is a book that will be used by Pacific Scholars, especially Melanesianists worldwide, for decades to come.' Tim Bayliss-Smith, University of Cambridge; 'This volume represents a massive research undertaking, and covers almost all conceivable topics of relevance to the forests of the Solomon Islands.' Wardlow Friesen - Journal of the Polynesian Society; '... shows how and why rural people have had few viable alternatives for making their way into the modern economy.' Kathleen Barlow - Contemporary Pacific; 'Ambitious in its conception, the book is a major contribution to our understanding of the relationships between the development of natural resources and a country's political dynamics.' Tarcisius Tara Kabutaulaka - Journal of Pacific Studies

• AcknowledgmentsIntroductionChapter 1. Solomons ForestsChapter 2. To Open the ForestChapter 3. A Great Coconut EstateChapter 4. From the Shortlands to Santa Cruz: Beginning the Timber IndustryChapter 5. The Vanikoro Kauri Timber CompanyChapter 6. World War Two: Focus on ForestsChapter 7. Domestic Needs and Overseas Markets, c. 1950-1963Chapter 8. The Government is but a Stranger ...Chapter 9. The Forestry Department and the Control of Species, c. 1960-1980Chapter 10. Contest for the Forests, c. 1963-1985Chapter 11. Attempts at Control? c. 1980-1990Chapter 12. Aiding the ForestsChapter 13. Provincial Ambitions, Community Aspirations: The Western Islands, 1985-1995Chapter 14. Provincial Ambitions, Community Aspirations: Central and Eastern Islands, 1985-1995Chapter 15. Profits and Loss, c. 1982-1996Chapter 16. Contested State: Contest of States, 1993-1997Conclusion. The Forest, Contested and UncontestedAfterwordAppendicesNotesBibliographyIndex