Halo & The Environment
As we announced last year, we have been working with the Plant a TreeToday Foundation (PATT) in Thailand on the Halo Forest initiative.
Through our partnership with them, we have established the Khao Yai
Forest Restoration Project to help restore the forest and biological
diversity of the area, as well as help combat and help reduce the
impact of climate change. The initial aims of the project were to plant
4,000 native tree species to restore the forest for conservation, to
contribute to climate stability, and to help develop the area for the
schools and communities surrounding it.
We are now happy to say that the first season of planting has been
completed in the area. Before tree planting, the boundary of the
planting site was surveyed and any existing native trees at the site
were kept, but weeds and grasses were cleared to allow the restoration
planting to be carried out. A 10 metre strip around the area was then
constructed as a fire break area before planting began. All the
seedlings used for the project were native species, mainly from PATT
Nursery as well as some that were provided from the Royal Forestry
Department.
Approximately two months after the initial planting we carried out a
survey to monitor the post planting survival rate. From these surveys
the survival rate was estimated to be a mean of 75%, which is great
news. The site will surveyed again at the end of the dry season and
then further trees will be replanted to replace the ones that did not
survive. This will take place once the next rainy season begins. At this
time, fertilizer will be administered and weeding and overall tree
health checks will be conducted.
In January, the Halo Forest will be studied by a group of students who
are working with PATT country manger (Dan Rollinson) to set up a
research project at PATT's reforestation sites in Khao Yai. The students
are aiming to collect data on the growth and survival of native tree
species at the sites.
This is exciting news for the Halo Forest and puts us well on our way to
achieving our goal planting 4,000 trees.
