Miro
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Pitcairn Islands
Miro, Thespesea populnea, is a small tree found on many tropical islands. It was formerly common on Pitcairn Island but was extensively logged. Throughout the 20th century the Pitcairners have sailed to Henderson Island to obtain miro wood. They use miro to make curios from which they derive much of their income. On Henderson miro is restricted in distribution and is found on a few coastal areas. The harvesting of miro has been, and still is, a haphazard process. During their irregular trips each islander cuts as much wood as possible. The wood has then to be brought to the boats anchored beyond the reef. This is a difficult and often dangerous operation. After a century of exploitation the amount of harvestable miro timber is dwindling. Following an investigation of the ecology and silviculture of Miro, guidelines for the sustainable harvesting of this economically important species are presently been devised. |
Miro: Immature and mature fruits, germinating seed and seedling. (60295 bytes)
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| Henderson Island north beach: Miro woodland stretches between the back of the beach and the cliff |  |
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| Henderson's open air hostel in the miro woodland: (111058 bytes) |  |