Forests AFG S14 Condensed

International Sustainable Development Studies InstitutePEOPLE, ECOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT

Activity

GuideField

FORE

STS

Spring 2014

Table of Contents

Field Activity 1: Forest Plant and Animal Identification 4

Field Activity 2: Forest Succession in Fallow Fields 46

Field Activity 3: Karen Rotational Agriculture Discussion 60

Field Activity 4: Forest Transect 64

Field Activity 5: Community Resource Management 69

Field Activity 6: Animal Inquiry 74

Field Activity 7: Food calendar 81

Appendix 85

Field Activity 1: Forest Plant and Animal Identification

PurposeDevelop familiarity with a few forest species from personal, cultural, and scientific perspectives.

Even if most of the forest still appears as a mass of green and brown foliage, the careful attention you give these species by observing them, drawing them, classifying them, and asking about their use and significance should make them pop out at you as you hike.

We are building off your activities during Agro by continuing to learn the names and uses of forest species and how to differentiate them using botanical terms.

AssignmentGather data on 8 plant species and 2 animal species. These 10 species should be thoroughly described, bringing information together from multiple, cited sources.

Observe the organism yourself (maybe even in several settings), ask your host families about them, ask our hiking guides about them, ask your friends about them, and look them up in the field guides.

Cite all your sources. Citations are especially useful here especially useful if you get conflicting data (i.e. a hiking guide says you can’t eat it, Patee Sajoo says you can boil it, and your friend worked in a lab that was trying to isolate a compound from the leaf as a dengue fever treatment).

4! Field Activity 1: Plant & Animal Identification

ID Table of ContentsID Table of Contents

Species # Species Name

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

Forest Activity Field Guide! 5

# Species InformationSpecies InformationSpecies InformationSpecies InformationSpecies Information

Common NameCommon Name Scientific Name Other Name (language)

SketchSketchSketchSketchSketchSketchSketchSketchSketchSketchSketchSketchSketchSketchSketchSketchSketchSketchSketchSketch

Fore

stSt

ory

Floo

rSh

rub

Laye

rU

nder

stor

yC

anop

yEm

erge

nt

Taxonomic InformationTaxonomic InformationTaxonomic InformationLeaf Type Leaf Tips

Leaf Arrangement Leaf Bases

Leaf Shapes Leaf Margins

Venation Deciduous Habit

Bark Roots

Fruit Flower

Branching Trunk

Observed StateObserved State

Leaf

Cha

ract

eris

tics

Oth

er C

hara

cter

istic

s

6! Field Activity 1: Plant & Animal Identification

EcologyEcologyLocations Observed Observed Habitat

Ecological RoleEcological Role

Cultural Significance Economic ValueFood Value

Construction Value

Household Use

Other Use


Field Activity 2: Forest Succession in Fallow Fields

PurposeGather qualitative experience and quantitative data about Northern Thai swidden fallows in order to ground our understanding of Karen swidden agriculture in Thailand. Learn and practice basic ecological field methods.

AssignmentThis activity takes at least all morning if not the better portion of a day. Prepare expedition clothing, water, sun protection, and bug repellant as if for a day of hiking.

Each group will conduct the survey in 4 separate fallow fields. One field will be a 20+ year fallow we will encounter on our hike up Doi Pui.

Each group member will record all the data for a single plot and then the calculated data from the other group members who recorded data from the other plots.

Write a one-page analysis of your data in the context of the intermediate disturbance hypothesis, the process of forest succession, and Karen swidden agriculture’s place in Thailand.

Compare the diversity indices with results found by Wangpakapattanawong et al (2010) in Thai Karen and Lawa fallow fields.

Data CollectionRandom Plot Selection

The field instructor will provide a method for randomly selecting sample sites.

Plot LayoutUse the 50m tape to outline the plot. Plots should be a 10m x 10m square with a 5m x 5m square inside (see Fig. 1).

Survey all trees (Height>50cm, GBH>10cm) in the 10m2 square, survey saplings (Height>50cm, GBH<10cm) within the 5m2 square, and survey seedlings (Height<50cm) within the 1mx10m strip along one edge.

46! Field Activity 2: Fallow Succession in Fallow Fields

Ask your guide for assistance identifying which small plants are herbs and which are trees. Count only tree species not herbs.

trees

(>10

cm DBH)

saplings (2-10 cm DBH)

seed

lings

(< 2

cm

DBH

)

10 m10 m

1 m 5 m5 m

Figure 1. Plot layout including 10m x 10m, 5m x 5m, and 1m x 10m areas. Dark line is area enclosed by 50 m tape.

Identifying Seedlings, Saplings, and TreesSeedlings and saplings are difficult to identify. Develop your own descriptive, memorable names based on the characteristics that distinguish them. Be sure to double-check your methods for distinguishing the species with your local instructor.

Trees are easier to identify. Record the Karen names for trees.

Environmental Factors that Affect SuccessionFor each environmental factor, record both evidence from the sample site and ask local instructors for further information. These factors have been identified by FORRU-CMU as most significant in affecting natural regeneration.


Basal AreaBasal area is a measurement of the total cross-sectional area of tree trunks at a certain height in a given land area. It is used to estimate production and competition in forest ecosystems.

Production is the amount of chemical energy embodied in plant biomass. Productivity is the rate of production over time. Basal area measurements can be used to compare production across sites or in one site over time. The effects of competition can be measured by comparing the basal areas by species at a given site.

To calculate basal area, measure and record the circumference of all trees in the 10mx10m plot at an approximate height of 1.3 m (breast height).

Once you have used the table to calculate the area of every tree in the plot, sum the areas to give you the total basal area per 100 m2. Multiply by 100 to get the total basal area per hectare (10,000 m2). This is a standard measure of production used in forest management.

For highly buttressed trees, take the DBH above the buttresses, as the buttresses will skew the measurement. For trees with multiple trunks extending from the same root base, see the note about trees with multiple trunks.

Shannon’s Diversity Index

H = -∑s

i=1i i

p ln p

H = Shannon’s Diversity IndexS = Species richness (total number of species)pi = Relative abundance (the proportion of all individuals made up by individuals of species i)

Use the tables to calculate Shannon’s Diversity Index. To find pi, divide the number of individuals of one species by the number of individuals of all species in the plot. Once the pi ln pi value has been found and recorded for each species, sum them and record the value in the -H box. Multiply by -1 to get H, the Shannon’s Diversity Index for the plot.


Shannon’s Index values range from 0 to approximately 7, with higher values indicating greater biodiversity. It is assumed that higher biodiversity correlates to a healthier ecosystem because higher biodiversity generally correlates to both higher resistance, the ability to resist disturbance, and resilience, the ability to recover from it.

Shannon’s Evenness Index

EH = H / lnS

! EH = Shannon’s Evenness Index! H= Shannon’s Diversity! S= total number of species in sample (species richness)

Shannon’s Evenness Index is a measure from 0 to 1 of the evenness of the relative abundances of the species in the sample.

A value of 1 describes a perfectly even relative abundance. The higher the value, the more even the abundances of species. Higher evenness generally indicates a healthier ecosystem, but should be considered in the context of other factors.


50! Field Activity 2: Fallow Succession in Fallow Fields Forest Activity Field Guide! 51

Tree

s (H

eigh

t>50

cm, G

BH>3

0cm

) Div

ersi

ty In

dex

Tree

s (H

eigh

t>50

cm, G

BH>3

0cm

) Div

ersi

ty In

dex

Tree

s (H

eigh

t>50

cm, G

BH>3

0cm

) Div

ersi

ty In

dex

Tree

s (H

eigh

t>50

cm, G

BH>3

0cm

) Div

ersi

ty In

dex

Tree

s (H

eigh

t>50

cm, G

BH>3

0cm

) Div

ersi

ty In

dex

#Sp

ecie

s Na

me

# In

divi

dual

sPr

opor

tion

of T

otal

(p)

p ln

p

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Tota

lSu

m (-

H’)


Sapl

ings

(Hei

ght>

50cm

, GBH

<30c

m) D

iver

sity

Inde

xSa

plin

gs (H

eigh

t>50

cm, G

BH<3

0cm

) Div

ersi

ty In

dex

Sapl

ings

(Hei

ght>

50cm

, GBH

<30c

m) D

iver

sity

Inde

xSa

plin

gs (H

eigh

t>50

cm, G

BH<3

0cm

) Div

ersi

ty In

dex

Sapl

ings

(Hei

ght>

50cm

, GBH

<30c

m) D

iver

sity

Inde

x

#Sp

ecie

s Na

me

# In

divi

dual

sPr

opor

tion

of T

otal

(p)

p ln

p

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Tota

lSu

m (-

H’)


Seed

lings

(Hei

ght<

50cm

) Div

ersi

ty In

dex

Seed

lings

(Hei

ght<

50cm

) Div

ersi

ty In

dex

Seed

lings

(Hei

ght<

50cm

) Div

ersi

ty In

dex

Seed

lings

(Hei

ght<

50cm

) Div

ersi

ty In

dex

Seed

lings

(Hei

ght<

50cm

) Div

ersi

ty In

dex

#Sp

ecie

s Na

me

# In

divi

dual

sPr

opor

tion

of T

otal

(p)

p ln

p

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Tota

lSu

m (-

H’)

Forest Activity Field Guide! 55 56! Field Activity 2: Fallow Succession in Fallow Fields

Environmental Factors That Affect SuccessionEnvironmental Factors That Affect SuccessionEnvironmental Factors That Affect SuccessionEnvironmental Factors That Affect SuccessionEnvironmental Factors That Affect Succession

Years Fallow

Livestock

Fire

Soil % exposed

Soil Condition

Soil Erosion

SUMMARYSUMMARYSUMMARYSUMMARYSUMMARY

Years Fallow

Tree Basal Area per Hectare(m2/hectare)

Species Richness

H Trees

H Saplings

H Seedlings

EH Trees

EH Saplings

EH Seedlings


Field Activity 3: Karen Rotational Agriculture Discussion

PurposeDevelop a clear understanding of the yearly and multi-yearly cycles of Karen rotational agriculture as practiced in Huay Hee.

AssignmentMeet with local instructors to discuss clearing, burning, planting, and harvesting of the rai crops throughout the year and after the first year. Also, discuss how the village manages land among families and determines when to return to fallow fields.

Take notes here in the Field Guide. Then draw a timeline or circle diagram to represent the cycles of the rai and write a one-page discussion of what you learned about rotational agriculture in Huay Hee. Reference at least two readings or concepts from seminar week.

Example QuestionsWhat are the major tasks in using the rai, and when are they conducted?What stages are the busiest time periods for villagers?What do villagers do with the rai after harvesting its annual crops?Do they use special terms for various stages of regrowth?How do they decide where to open/re-open a rai, and how do they assess a given area’s readiness for planting annual crops again?

60! Field Activity 3: Karen Rotational Agriculture Discussion

Field Activity 4: Forest Transect

PurposeDevelop awareness of changing forest types. Connect observed forest types to theories of how forest types result from climate, moisture, and soil factors.

AssignmentOn the hike between Huay Hee and Nam Hoo, take a forest survey at every 150 m of elevation gain or loss. Use the GPS to monitor elevation gain and loss.

At each survery point, use the GPS to take UTM coordinates and the Kestral to take air temperature, average wind speed, and relative humidity.

Collect enough information about the surrounding trees to make a educated guess at the forest type. Ask your local instructor for the names of trees and the use of the forest; collect acorns, seeds, leaves, bark, flowers, or other evidence to use to identify the predominant species according to the Forest Trees of Northern Thailand.

Do not only record the forest type. It is the evidence you collect to make your case that is more important.

Use two facing pages to draw a forest transect that concisely summarizes your data. In the drawing, include for each site: UTM coordinates, temperature, wind speed, relative humidity, predominant tree species, number of tree species, a brief description of the canopy layers, and any important cultural information about the site.

Write a one-page discussion of the ecological factors leading to forest types being arranged as they are along the trail. Do your observations fit what you’d expect based on the theories or not?

64! Field Activity 4: Forest Transect

Field Activity 5: Community Resource Management

BackgroundNobel Laureate economist Elinor Ostrom (1990, 1999) has demonstrated that community resource management can work as an alternative to either government control or private ownership. But, like state and market solutions, some community management regimes work and some don't.

The reader includes Ostrom's (1999) discussion of patterns emerging from community management successes and failures.

The following are 7 principles for successful long-term community resource management based on Ostrom's research (1990):

1) The community draws clear boundaries around the resource.2) Rules for resource use fit the users and local ecology.3) People affected by the rules can participate in changing them.4) Resource monitors are effective and accountable.5) Rule violators receive increased sanctions with each violation.6) Conflicts can be resolved locally, inexpensively, and efficiently.7) Community rules are recognized by formal governments.

PurposeDeepen your understanding community resource management. Develop skills for interviewing villagers about resource management. Make discussions of sustainability less abstract by evaluating two examples of real-world community resource management.

AssignmentUse the tables to describe the community management of the orchid forest in Huay Hee and a conservation forest in another village to be determined. Use the readings and tables to guide your questions.

As a group, discuss how this community management regime follows or doesn't follow the 7 principles above and the patterns noted in Ostrom (1999).

Using the academic models plus your best understanding of this resource, this community management regime, and this social and ecological context, do you think this management regime is sustainable in the long term?

Reflect also on the research challenges in this field.Forest Activity Field Guide! 69

Community Forest

Management regime and

history

Resource and

boundaries

Who uses the resource

Resource use rules


Process for changing

rules

Resource monitoring

Sanctions for violations

Relationship with formal government


Field Activity 6: Animal Inquiry

PurposeThis activity will help students learn about population dynamics of animals in Northern Thailand, including the various factors that lead to fluctuations in animal population. Students will also inquire about the significance of specific animal species in the villages.

Assignment: Section 1Complete the following chart by asking your host family questions in Thai. You may complete this with a partner.

Be aware that this activity can take up to an hour, so be sure that your host family has time to talk before you begin. Only one respondent is needed but more is always better.

Questions

Has this animal ever been seen in this area?เคยเห็นสัตว์ชนิดนี้ในพื้นที่นี้ไหม

Did your grandparents or parents ever see this animal?ปู่ ย่า ตา ยาย หรือพ่อ แม่ของคุณเคยเห็นสัตว์ชนิดนี้ไหม

Do you see this animal around now?คุณเห็นสัตว์ชนิดนี้ตอนนี้ไหม

Use a scale of 0 - 2 to denote whether they now see none (0), a few (1), or a lot (2).

0 - none ไม่เห็นเลย! 1 - a few บางส่วน! 2 - a lot เยอะไหม


Example chart

Animal Have you ever seen this animal in the

area?

Did your grandparents or parents ever see

this animal?


this animal?

Do you see this animal now?


Asiatic black bear

Yes Yes 2 Yes 1

Elephant Yes Yes 1 No 0

Village name:________________________

Animal Have you ever seen this

animal in the area?


this animal?


this animal?



เสือไฟ Asiatic Golden Cat

เสือโคร่ง Tiger

ช้างป่า Wild Elephant

หมีควาย Asiatic Black Bear

หมูป่า Wild Boar

เม้น Porcupine

หนูป่า Wild Rat

หนูนา Field Rat



animal in the area?


this animal?


this animal?



ตัวตุ่น Bamboo Rat

นกหัวขวาน Woodpecker

ลิงวอกภูเขา Monkey

ชะนีมือขาว Gibbon

ค่างหงอก Silvered Leaf Monkey

เก้ง Barking Deer

กวางป่า Sambar Deer

เลียงผา Common Serow

ค้างคาว Bat

หมาใน Asian Wild Dog

ไก่ป่า Red Junglefowl

กระรอก Squirrel

กระต่ายป่า Burmese Hare



animal in the area?


this animal?


this animal?



เสือปลา Fishing Cat

ลิ่น/นิ่ม Pangolin

แลน/ตะกวด Bengal Monitor Lizard

จิ้งเหลน Skink

อีเห็นเครือ Masked Palm Civet

พังพอน Indian Mongoose

นกแก้ว Parrot

นกแต้วแล้วท้องดํา Gurney’s Pitta

อีกา Crow

นกแร้ง Vulture

นกฮูก Owl

นกเหยี่ยว Brown Falcon

นกเงือก Hornbill

นกแซก Barn Owl



animal in the area?


this animal?


this animal?



ปลาช่อน Snakehead Fish

ปลาดุก Catfish

ปลาไหล Eel

ปูนา Rice field Crab

งูจงอาง King Cobra

งูเขียว Green Snake

งูหางกระดิ่ง Rattlesnake

งูเหลือม Python

งูเขียวหางไหม้ White-lipped pit-viper

เต่าดํา Black marsh turtle


Assignment: Section 2Choose one animal to ask about more in-depth. Work with your host family to fill in answers to the following questions. Don’t limit yourself to the exact questions below. If the question below doesn’t yield a useful answer or doesn’t fit the conversational flow, use your Thai skills to come up with questions that work.

Animal: __________

1. Has there been a change in the frequency that this animal has been sighted over the years?

หลายปีท่ีผ่านมาความถี่หรือบ่อยในการเห็นมีการเปลี่ยนแปลงบ้างไหม

2. What are possible factors for this change?อะไรคือปัจจัยในการเปลี่ยนแปลงนี้

3. Has this animal ever been hunted? If so, via what methods?สัตว์ชนิดนี้เคยถูกล่าไหม ถ้าเคยถูกล่า ถูกล่าอย่างไร

4. Are there any rules about hunting these animals (village or government rules)?

มีกฏหมายในการล่าสัตว์ชนิดนี้ไหม (กฏหมายหมู่บ้าน หรือกฏหมายจากรัฐบาล)


5. What are the uses for this animal in the village? Food? Medicinal?....หมู่บ้านมีการการสัตว์ชนิดนี้เพื่อประโยชน์อะไรบ้าง ใช้เป็นอาหารไหม ใช้เป็นยาไหม

6. Does this animal have any cultural significance? สัตว์ชนิดนี้มีความสําคัญทางวัฒนธรรมอย่างไร

7. When was the last time someone in the village has seen this animal?ครั้งสุดท้ายที่มีคนเห็นชนิดนี้คือเมื่อไหร่

8. Is the host family (and/or the village as a whole )worried that this animal will become locally extinct in the near future?

หมู่บ้านกังวลหรือไม่ว่าสัตว์ชนิดนี้จะสูญหายไปจากท้องที่ในอนาคตอันใกล้


Field Activity 7: Food calendar

PurposeConnect food to land, agriculture, and markets by learning about how villagers get various foods throughout the year.

Assignment:In an approximately one hour meeting, break into small groups and use the food flashcards to ask villagers relevant questions about whether and how they acquire various foods.

Try to gain as comprehensive an understanding of what foods they have access to, how they access them, and when.

Before the end of the course, compile each group’s data into a food calendar, an illustrated poster that shows the villagers’ food access throughout the year. Use the poster in a 5 minute presentation to the rest of the group.

Forest Activity Field Guide ! 81

82! Field Activity 7: Food Calendar 86! Appendix

Opposite Alternate Whorled Opposite Planar OppositeSpiral

Leaf

A

rran

gem

ent

Simple Palmate Digitate Odd-Pinnate Even-Pinnate Bipinnate

Leaf

Typ

e

Pinnate Arcuate Parallel Palmate

Vena

tion

Looped Ladder-like Network

Leaf Characteristics

Needle Scalelike Linear Oblong Elliptical Spatulate Ovate Orbicular

Reniform Cordate Obovate Cuneate Oblanceolate Falcate

Leaf

Sha

pes

Lanceo-late

Appendix! 87

Leaf CharacteristicsLe

af T

ip S

hape

s

Acuminate Acute Obtuse Truncate Emarginate

Leaf

Bas

e Sh

apes

Cordate Cuneate Rounded Obtuse Oblique

Peltate SheathingTruncateHastateAuriculate

Lobed Clefted DividedParted

Entire Serrate Doubly Serrate

Undulate Crenate

Leaf

Mar

gins Winged

NutSamaraCapsuleLegume

(Pod)Legume(Pod)

Samara

SpreadingFunnel-shaped

Salverform GloboseTubularPea-likePapilionaceous

AggregateDrupe NutBerry Capsule

Corymb Umble Panicle Compound Umble

Spike Raceme

Head CatkinAxillarySolitary Cauliflory

Flower & Fruit Characteristics

88! Appendix

# Species InformationSpecies InformationSpecies InformationSpecies InformationSpecies Information

Common NameCommon Name Scientific Name Other Name (language)

SketchSketchSketchSketchSketchSketchSketchSketchSketchSketchSketchSketchSketchSketchSketchSketchSketchSketchSketchSketch

Fore

stSt

ory

Floo

rSh

rub

Laye

rU

nder

stor

yC

anop

yEm

erge

nt

Taxonomic InformationTaxonomic InformationTaxonomic InformationLeaf Type Leaf Tips

Leaf Arrangement Leaf Bases

Leaf Shapes Leaf Margins

Venation Deciduous Habit

Bark Roots

Fruit Flower

Branching Trunk

Observed StateObserved State

Leaf

Cha

ract

eris

tics

Oth

er C

hara

cter

istic

s

simple

opposite

ovate

looped

obtuse

cuneate, tapering

entire, smooth

yeslight brown/gray, peels

in vertical strips small buttresses

capsule with 4 seed pockets small, white, spreading, but funnel-shaped at base, in large panicles

sometimes opposite straight, few lower branches

leaves fallen, stalks still visible from last year’s flowers, some fruits visible on the ground.

13Teak Tectona grandis mai sahk (Thai)

Appendix! 89

EcologyEcologyLocations Observed

• Keep a running list of locations where you observed the organism.

• Include the date and time of day for each encounter.

• Be specific about microhabitat.

Observed Habitat• Describe the surrounding habitat

of where you observed the organism.

• Also the micro-habitat of exactly where you found it.

• Add details if you encounter it again.

Ecological Role

• To what functional group/trophic level does the organism belong?

• On what does the organism feed?

• What feeds on this organism?

• What influences this organism’s distribution and abundance?

• How does this organism interact with others in the community?

Ecological Role

• To what functional group/trophic level does the organism belong?

• On what does the organism feed?

• What feeds on this organism?

• What influences this organism’s distribution and abundance?

• How does this organism interact with others in the community?

Cultural Significance Economic Value

What part of the plant is eaten? By whom? (males/

females/adults/children) When is it eaten (holidays,

everyday)? How is it prepared?

What parts of the plant are used? For what? What is

the lumber quality? Used in what type of

construction? Used by whom?

What parts of the plant are used? Used by whom?

Used for what (e.g. fuelwood, decoration, tools,

fibers, etc.)? Used when?

What parts of the plant are used? Used by whom?

Used for what? Used when? Include medicinal uses

here.

110! Appendix

Documents

Forests AFG S14 Condensed