GROVITH PERFORMANCE OF LARGE DIAMETER RATIAN (Calamus) PLANTED UNDER PINE PLANTATIONS AT SINHARAJA BUFFERZONE

Rattans can be considered as the most important non-timber forest product. Due to heavyexploitation from the wild, the resource is declining at an alarming rate. The present studyexamined the growth performance in terms of plant height, total lengths of stems,diameter, clump formation and number of live leaves and average growth rates of threelarge diameter rattan species, namely Calamus zeylanicus Becc., Calamus thwaitesiiBecc., and Calamus ovoideus Thw. ex Trim, planted under pine plantations in the bufferzone of Sinharaja, Sri Lanka. Four sites of rattan plantations in ages, 8, 9, 10 and 12 yearswere selected with each site consisting of five plots. Lengths of stems were estimated andstern diameter was measured without the sheath. Number of live leaves and stems in aclump were counted in each plant. Number of pine trees of each site was counted and soilanalysis was carried out to depict the site 9ualit'l.The highest stem lengths were recorded in the oldest site and the highest mean heightrecorded afer 12 years was 20 m. Results showed that the height increases with the ageand the average growth rate decreases. The highest avera~e growth rate, 1.87 m per yearwas recorded in the 8 year old plantation and the lowest, 1.75 m was recorded in the 12year old plantation Average number of stems in a plant varies from 1 to 4 stems per plantin all four sites. Average diameter of stems i:l all sites was in the range of 1.8 to 2.1 ern,irrespective of the age of the plantation. The average number of leaves declined with theage of the plantation. In conclusion it is possible to say that although the stem lengthincreases With the age of the plantation, the average growth rate decreases. Average stemdiameter and number of stems in a plant have not shown' any relationship with the age.

EFFECTIVENESS OF ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTIONMETHODS USED IN THE HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS IN SRI LANKA

Effectiveness of dispute resolution affects immensely for success or failure of construction projects. This document consists of a literature review about alternative dispute resolution (ADR) methods including negotiation, mediation, Dispute Adjudication Board (DAB), ad-hoc adjudication, arbitration and ten critical factors affecting to effectiveness of ADR methods such as cost, speed, relationships, fairness etc. After decades of use there is no clear detailed analysis about used alternative dispute resolution in highway projects for their effectiveness and efficiency. In order to fulfil this gap, this research is conducted to evaluate effectiveness of used ADR methods regarding ten critical factors. The research methodology adapted was qualitative within multiple case studies from disputes arisen in Expressway Construction projects. The primary data collection techniques used in this study were ADR documents and semi structured interviews. Content analysis was used to analyse these documents and cross case analysis to compare cases findings to each other. The research findings revealed that ratings for critical factors fluctuate from case to case significantly. In the discussion of research findings, key attributes identify which was the cause for fluctuations. So one cannot simply say this or that factor affects most to the success and this ADR method is best way to deal with disputes. According to study it’s not fair to deal with every dispute in the same manner, so categorization of disputes concerning key attributes needed for improved efficiency of ADR methods. Guidelines developed include steps, tables and flowcharts for using ADR methods effectively. These findings and guidelines are presented in a logical, systematic and a sensible way to identify the ideal ADR method for a given dispute rather than relying on subjective decisions. It is hoped that these findings and guidelines will be useful to the stakeholders in future highway projects and can be adapted to the whole industry