Forestry

            A 1988 satellite photo survey showed that forest areas in Thailand had diminished to only 14.38 million hectares or about 28.03 percent of the country’s total land area. Thus, during 1973 – 1988 deforestation had claimed about 7.8 million hectares, or an average of about 487,500 hectares per year. Most of the devastated forest areas are located in the northeast, the north, the upper part of the central plains and the west; where there was extensive slash - and – burn agricultural practice by villagers and illegal log poaching.

            In view of the depletion of forest resources and the government’s restrictions on cutting, the growth rate of forestry output declined form an annual average of 2.61 percent during the Second Five – Year Plan (1967 – 1971) to 2.01 percent during the Third Five – Year Plan period (1977 – 1981). In the Fourth Five – Year Plan period (1977 – 1981) forestry output declined to an annual average of 4.97 percent, and in the Fifth Five – Year Plan (1982 – 1986) to 0.25 percent. The Royal Forest Department undertook various reforestation projects in areas of 607,492 hectares and 648,512 hectares in 1980 and 1987 respectively.