Kobsak Wanthongchai

In this seminar,  Kobsak uses case studies of landscape forest fire management in the Northern region of Thailand, which have diverse land use patterns in its landscape, including forest plantations.

Why: Fire management is extremely important in the current situation where weather conditions are unpredictable, resulting in an increased risk of wildfires. The damage caused by wildfires to planted trees and agricultural areas can be severe. Additionally, changes in land-use can create a fire risk in surrounding forest areas. Nevertheless, the use of fire to manage certain forest plantation is still necessary.

What and Where: Fire management for small-scale forest farmers or agricultural areas should not only consider the forest area being planted but also take into account the landscape context. This is because there may be agricultural crops, fruit trees, other forest areas, and surrounding areas that may affect, or be affected by fire management practices. Therefore, fire management in this context encompasses the entire landscape in which fire may become involved.

When: Fire management should be carried out only when it has been assessed that there is a risk of damage to the owner's property, and then the management process must be considered for the whole landscape, both the forest plantation and the surrounding areas. Alternatively, fire management practices may be considered when it has been assessed that the use of fire may increase the production quality and reduce costs to the greatest extent possible.

How: Managing fire in the landscape (forest plantation, surrounding forests, and adjacent agricultural areas) involves a variety of methods depending on the different objectives. In some areas, fire prevention measures are crucial, while in others, fire management through techniques such as controlled burning may be necessary.

Challenges: Changes in weather conditions affect the fire conditions and the ease of ignition, as well as the prevalence of forest fires. The problem of smog and PM 2.5 particles resulting from burning has a continuous impact on health, leading to policies by the government to ban fires. These factors affect the decision-making process for planning fire management in small-scale agricultural forestry. In addition, the operation of managing fire in the landscape will inevitably have both positive and negative impacts on the surrounding area. Maintaining a balance of fire usage at the landscape level poses a great challenge for landscape managers.

Speaker Biography

Kobsak Wanthongchai is the assistant professor at the Department of Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry, Kasetsart University, Thailand. In this role, Kobsak Wanthongchai specializes in forest fire management, forest fire ecology, silviculture, forest ecology, forest protection, and forest insect pest management. He has more than 20 years of experience teaching students. In addition, Kobsak Wanthongchai is a researcher with more than 15 research projects and has published more than 15 academic articles. Currently, he also holds the position of Dean of the Faculty of Forestry, Kasetsart University, Thailand.