Monitoring plant diversity and water storage in a dry dipterocarp forest at the Huai Hong Khrai Royal Development Study Center, Chiang Mai, northern Thailand Teuanchay PHONGKHAMPHANH1* Soontorn KHAMYONG2 Suparb PARAMEE3 Niwat ANONGRAK1 1 Plant and Soil Sciences Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Chiang Mai University, Thailand, 2 Highland Agriculture and Natural Resources Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Chiang Mai University 3 Huai Hong Khrai Royal Development Study Center, Chiang Mai *Corresponding author; E-mail: pteuanchay@yahoo.com Abstract-Monitoring plant species diversity and water storage in a dry dipterocarp forest (DDF) at the Huai Hong Khrai Royal Development Study (HHKRDS) Center, Chiang Mai province was carried out. The forest was assessed for species diversity and water storage in 2010 and 2015 using 12 permanent plots, each of size 40 x 40 m2, and arranged by a random sampling over the forest as reported in Part I. The plant data were obtained by measuring stem girths at 1.3 m above ground and heights of all trees with height over 1.5 m. Quantitative plant data, plant biomass and water amounts derived from water contents in stem, branch, leaf and root were measured. The DDF included 4 stands based on the most dominant tree species: Hiang (Dipterocapus obtusifolius), Pluang (D. tuberculatus), Teng (Shorea obtusa) and Rang (S. siamensis). It was found that species richness, family richness, tree density and species diversity index (SWI) were decreased: 60 to 53 species (-7), 31 to 27 families (-4), 3,864 to 2,780 trees ha-1 (-1,084), and 3.17 to 3.06 (-0.11), respectively Death of many tree individuals in the forest was the main cause of decreasing species diversity and plant production. However, the Forest Condition Index (FCI) was adversely increased, and the average amount of plant biomass was also increased from 83.74±12.35 to 90.65±11.36 Mg ha-1 (+6.91). As a result, the average amount of water stored in plant biomass during 2010 and 2015 increased from 34.02±4.94 to 38.70±5.27 m3 ha-1, the net. increase of 4.69 m3 ha-1 (13.80%) or only 0.94 m3 ha-1 yr-1. Keywords: dry dipterocarp forest, monitoring, plant species diversity, water storage Proceedings of the International Conference on Climate Change, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services for the 23 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Policy and Practice 27-29 June 2016, Cha-am, Phetchaburi, Thailand
Proceedings of International Conference on Climate Change, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services for the Sustainable Development Goals : Policy and Practice 27-29 June 2016 at the Sirindhorn International Environmental Park, Cha-am, Phetchaburi, Thailand
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