Local Participation in Reforestation Project

BANGKOK, Aug 16 (TNA) – The Royal Forest Department has adopted the new method of reforestation by allowing community participation to look after trees on land, allocated by the government. The department set rules for local people, who are eligible to receive land in the reserve forest to make a living to plant trees in 20 per cent of the land, allocated by the government’s committee on national land policy. Atthapol Charoenchansa, director-general of the Royal Forest Department said the reforestation pilot project will be implemented in 13 provinces in the North and the Northeast on 1.5 million rai of land (1 acre = 2.5 rai). The department will provide saplings for them and it is expected to reforest about 306,017 rai of the country’s watershed areas. Land owners will plant saplings and nurture trees, helping the department save the budget of about 10,960 baht per rai for reforestation. It will only spend about 1,000 baht per rai for seedling. This year, it prepares six million saplings for this project, covering 20,000- 30,000 rai of land. (TNA)