Language:
This project supports maintenance and monitoring at several restoration plots in the upper Mae Sa Valley, as well as research on the effects of restoration on forest carbon and biodiversity recovery. The funder is THE NEXT FOREST , with sponsorship from the Bangkok Bank’s BKIND fund.
There are 3 sub-projects:
- Fire prevention in FORRU-CMU’s chronosequence of restoration plots above Ban Mae Sa (BMS) (planted annually from 1996-2013) - the project supported the local community to implement fire break cutting in February and daily fire patrol units, as well as a drone survey to monitor the results of the fire prevention program.
- Conversion of a storm-damaged pine plantation to evergreen forest at Ban Pong Khrai (BPK). Following tree planting in June 2022 and 2023, the BKIND project supported maintenance and monitoring, including fire break cutting. This project also included participation of local school children in various activities, under the YFR project.
- Effects of restoration on forest carbon and biodiversity recovery. In our chronosequence plot system at BMSM, the project is supporting the field work of 4 BSc students, as they work to determine the long-term effects of restoration on carbon and biodiversity. Pyae Shan and Jerry are working on tree-carbon and soil-carbon accumulation, whilst Nay is using camera traps to capturing images of mammals returning to the plots, and Scott is monitoring the diversity of bird communities. These studies are comparing 12 year and 24-year-old restored forest with a remnant of mature evergreen forest (the “reference” forest ecosystem) and open agricultural land (the land use before restoration commenced).
