Northern forests to rise from the ashes with mass replanting campaign

By THE NATION

 

 

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has revealed plans to heal northern forests which have been left badly scarred by this year’s burning season, the Royal Forest Department revealed on Monday (April 20).

 

The recovery plan involves all sectors – government, private and civic, said the department’s director general Atthaphon Charoenchansa.

 

Spearheading the effort would be a mass-planting campaign to reforest damaged areas with more than 10 million seedlings of padauk, teak, rosewood and other economically valuable tree species, he said

 

The department plans to plant the seedlings in May, on and around National Tree Day, with activities reaching a climax on May 21, added Atthaphon.

 

The Royal Forest Department revealed that the number of hotspots detected in the North on Sunday (April 19) fell to 28. The improvement was attributed to recent thunderstorms as well as cooperation between officials and locals.

 

Fires have destroyed 55,266 rai or 0.18 per cent of a total 30.148 million rai of national forest in recent weeks, an area roughly equal to the size of 9,000 football pitches. Chiang Mai province suffered the most damage, with 17,771 rai of forest burned down.

 

A total of 963 cases of forest burning were prosecuted between March 30 and April 17, the director general said.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30386423

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-04-20

 

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Those seedlings will burn really well.

Good...maybe wait until the rains really start coming in, otherwise the seedlings will die under the sweltering heat. I suggest 2 weeks later - late May.

But still no effective plan to actually prevent the burning in the first place

Teak? How's the illegal lumbering business around here?

Why replant? Anything thats grows will be burnt again and increase pm 2.5 levels 

 

Better strip all the hills of their trees, only grow corn and mushrooms, and let Bangkok and Central areas flood.

Where do I sign up? I planted thousands of trees when i was a Boy Scout in Missouri. 

They planted trees here in Isaan, often in the middle of tractor paths, as part of the plant 80 000 (?800 000?) trees program. Nobody watered them or even put in a little stick to show where they were, they ALL died, vehicles, buffalo and thirst did for them.

This is symptomatic of a government that waits until it's already happened and then reacts, instead of prevention. Typical of government bureaucracy all over the world.

9 minutes ago, cooked said:

They planted trees here in Isaan, often in the middle of tractor paths, as part of the plant 80 000 (?800 000?) trees program. Nobody watered them or even put in a little stick to show where they were, they ALL died, vehicles, buffalo and thirst did for them.

This is symptomatic of a government that waits until it's already happened and then reacts, instead of prevention. Typical of government bureaucracy all over the world.

That's a shame. Isaan could benefit from more canopy growth, but I'm not surprised at this story. 

4 minutes ago, LawrenceN said:

Where do I sign up? I planted thousands of trees when i was a Boy Scout in Missouri. 

You wouldn't be welcome. Stupid Farang wants to use a spade instead of a pointed stick and keeps wasting time watering them all.

15 hours ago, Bassosa said:

Those seedlings will burn really well.

The farmers will nurture them for future harvesting, illegal logging is profitable.

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Spearheading the effort would be a mass-planting campaign to reforest damaged areas with more than 10 million seedlings of padauk, teak, rosewood and other economically valuable tree species, he said

 

Erm, why is the fact they are 'economically valuable' relevant ?

Are they re-planting to establish a new forest or just doing this for future harvesting ?

 

I hope they have the forethought to add in some fire breaks as well...

Planting trees is always good, I hope they include species native to the region too. I see teak.

15 hours ago, drbeach said:

Good...maybe wait until the rains really start coming in, otherwise the seedlings will die under the sweltering heat. I suggest 2 weeks later - late May.

In my area every few years some group comes and plants a lot of trees.  There is a lot of media, a camera filming crew,  music, huge signs and billboards put up, ribbons, plastic flowers and a big show of how good they are planting theses trees.  

 

Then they all pack up, leaving the place littered with plastic food bags, discarded plastic black plant bags and other stuff.  

 

No one comes to water the trees.  They don't add fertilizer or good soil to the planting sites (which is basically sandy poor soil).  And they don't put any protection around the trees.

 

So, they all die!!  I have seen 4 of these planting parties over 12 years, with hundreds of trees being planted... and none have survived!!!  Unbelievable.  They die of lack of water, trampling by cows and buffalo, and cut down by the local authority strmmig the vegetation back.  Any that survived all that get burnt to a crisp in the dry season.  

2 hours ago, alant said:

But still no effective plan to actually prevent the burning in the first place

Nope.  Waste of time.

32 minutes ago, realfunster said:

 

Erm, why is the fact they are 'economically valuable' relevant ?

Are they re-planting to establish a new forest or just doing this for future harvesting ?

 

I hope they have the forethought to add in some fire breaks as well...

Exactly.  They should be planting a wide range of native trees and shrubs, which are adapted to the local conditions and are important to wildlife and restore the eco system.  Sounds like these trees are doomed to be cut down and sold in the future... basically a monoculture of teak trees for commercial farming.  

3 hours ago, fondue zoo said:

Planting trees is always good, I hope they include species native to the region too. I see teak.

All three are native to Northern Thailand. 

That will be a huge relief to the locals as they have just about burnt everything else they can get their hands on.  Some were even talking about trucking stuff in to burn lol

 

But seriously someone in govt needs to actually look into why there is all these fires.  Up our way they set fire to the hills around us so its easier to find/pick mushrooms once the rains start.  Others operate a kind of illegal slash and burn in the hills to grow chilies.  As said previously, all these new trees will just get burnt out or die of thirst coz there will be no-one to prevent it.

8 hours ago, cooked said:

You wouldn't be welcome. Stupid Farang wants to use a spade instead of a pointed stick and keeps wasting time watering them all.

You are so right. We have most garden implements that I used in the west. The family will still only use a hoe to dig a hole and a machete for pruning.

But on a positive note the FIL used to carry on about me turning the grass into lawn (sort of) because you could not eat it. Now he likes the green thing we have and even waters it for me.

23 hours ago, Bassosa said:

Those seedlings will burn really well.

They will not have a chance to burn. The locals will relocate them to their own land.