Why Do Thais Burn Down Their Forests Every Year In Northern Thailand?

[connda]

Why Do Thais Burn Down Their Forests Every Year In Northern Thailand?

 

Here, let me show you - see the bowl on the right?  That's why.

 

Het Thop (Astraeus hygrometricus) or Earth Star mushrooms pokes their fruiting bodies out of their mycelial-mass networks in the mountain forests of Northern Thailand for about two weeks a year during the beginning of Thailand's "Rainy Season."  During those two weeks, Thais go on a Het-Thop-Foraging-Frenzy^TM to collect the mushrooms which, when they first pop up thought the burnt-out underbrush of our somewhat charred forests, can command a price between 600 to 800 THB for a "liter-weight", and which then drops to between 200 to 400 THB per liter as hundreds (to a thousand plus) of foragers scour the mountains and bring back sacks of these mushrooms.

In our area we have what the locals call Het Thop Maeta, a distinct micro-climate type that is highly prized for its texture and taste.  This year the roads in our area literally had a few of hundred trucks and motorcycles parked along the side of roads and highways before dawn.  Each truck carried between 10 to 15 people or more, packed like sardines in the truck-bed (including scads of Myanmar day-workers hired to forage) who scoured the mountain-sides for these highly prized mushrooms, and the truck's license plates showed that they were coming from as far away as Phrae and Lampang as well as from Chiang Mai and other provinces (north, south, east, and west).  Last week was pretty much it for the 2 week Het-Thop-Foraging-Frenzy^TM and commercial buyers where lining the road to purchase the mushroom, which of course drives the price up for locals, who like my wife, simply wants to enjoy a Het Thop meal.  But then again, many of the locals who run small business in the villages of our Tambon simply close their business and joined the Het-Thop-Foraging-Frenzy^TM mushroom hunt as it's exponentially more profitable than selling noodles, coffee, and small retails store kind-of stuff, or even working at their normal day-jobs in construction, farming, or the other village occupations.

So - back to the question of Burn-Season-Arson^TM - who sets all of those fires? 

"Shhhhhhhh."  Nobody knows. 🙄 Probably Forest-Spirits and Global-Warming Gremlins!   Maybe even Monkey's-With-Matches...nobody knows!  🙈🙉🙊
"Shhhhhhhh!" 🌳 🔥 🍄    
Who benefits from all of those arson fires?  Locals and non-locals alike.  Essentially everyone who didn't develop lung cancer or other respiratory diseases which would preclude them from foraging the steep, rocky slopes of the mountains in our Amphur.  😷

So after 3 months of Killer-Northern-Thailand-Air and often "The Most Dangerous Air-Quality In The World^TM," for two weeks Thais in our area are absolute happy-campers as they forage and feed on - Het Thop!  😁🇹🇭

 

 

 

[Njoku]

You cant put all the blame on Thais for the air pollution, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar  and China are all in on its as well, and China in particular should know better, they have gone to great lengths to get people traveling with electric motorbikes and cars, the fact is the government doesn't see it as a problem at the moment, even if they did its like the police and traffic issues, there just not enough of them on the roads to sort it out, they dont think the high death toll is a problem, since theres no government social sercurity payments they dont seem to think there is a problem with people that become disabled from traffic accidents.

 

The only way that farmers will stop burning is when someone like the US and other nations that buy Thai made goods like motor cars say....enough, clean up your act or we will impose restrictive tariffs on Thai manufactured goods. Then the government will have to be seen to be doing something about it, but if Thailand fell into line....what about the others? Laos Cambodia and Myanmar are pretty much are a rural country...

 

Anyway you been here long enough now to know how Thais work, the bottom line is the $ stuff the planet, they dont even look or care beyond the next meal.

[Frank au]

Thai Snow season 😂

 

My brother inlaw (thai) enjoys it as the ash falls down covering cars, driveway.

 

"Thai snow" he yells to me. I laughed that much nearly choked on my beer.

[novacova]

On 6/4/2024 at 1:36 PM, connda said:

So after 3 months of Killer-Northern-Thailand-Air and often "The Most Dangerous Air-Quality In The World^TM," for two weeks Thais in our area are absolute happy-campers as they forage and feed on - Het Thop!  😁🇹🇭

It’s well worth being miserable in the smoke for 3 months for a short gratification of het thop which I enjoy very much 

[Presnock]

On 6/5/2024 at 5:35 PM, Njoku said:

You cant put all the blame on Thais for the air pollution, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar  and China are all in on its as well, and China in particular should know better, they have gone to great lengths to get people traveling with electric motorbikes and cars, the fact is the government doesn't see it as a problem at the moment, even if they did its like the police and traffic issues, there just not enough of them on the roads to sort it out, they dont think the high death toll is a problem, since theres no government social sercurity payments they dont seem to think there is a problem with people that become disabled from traffic accidents.

 

The only way that farmers will stop burning is when someone like the US and other nations that buy Thai made goods like motor cars say....enough, clean up your act or we will impose restrictive tariffs on Thai manufactured goods. Then the government will have to be seen to be doing something about it, but if Thailand fell into line....what about the others? Laos Cambodia and Myanmar are pretty much are a rural country...

 

Anyway you been here long enough now to know how Thais work, the bottom line is the $ stuff the planet, they dont even look or care beyond the next meal.

India, Indonesia also pump their share of pollution in this region.  It has been going on for at least 55 years that I have actually seen it here.l  Won't change I opine in the next 55 years eiher.