Forest and Trees of XK Field Guidefinalsummary
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Forests and Trees of the Central Highlands of Xieng Khouang, Lao P.D.R. A field guide Lutz Lehmann Martin Greijmans David Shenman Forests and Trees of the Temperate Highlands of Xieng Khouang, Lao P.D.R. A field guide For more information contact NAWACOP Xieng Khouang, P.O. Box A, Xieng Khouang, Lao P.D.R., phone: +856 (061) 312026; e- mail: [email protected] German Development Service (DED), P.O. Box 2455, Vientiane, Lao P.D.R., phone: +856 (021) 413555; e-mail: [email protected] Lao Tree Seed Project, P.O. Box 9111, Vientiane, Lao P.D.R., phone: +856 (021) 770074; e-mail: [email protected] Natural Resources and Environment Programme, DANIDA, P.O. Box 9990, Vientiane, Lao P.D.R., phone: +856 (021) 223687 © Copyrights of this book belong to Lutz Lehmann: [email protected] Martin Greijmans: [email protected] David Shenman [email protected] Acknowledgements Thanks to Ole Pedersen Danida Coordinator of the Natural Resources and Environment Programme, for giving the opportunity to produce this field guide and supplying the budget. Preface Forests are known for their numerous functions such as regulating the climate and the water flow. In Laos, where most of the population is living in rural areas, forest products are collected in times of food shortage and rural people depend on this natural “supermarket”. Numerous timber and non- timber forest products are collected and sold on local markets and thus significantly contribute to the local economy. Forests in all their variety make up the specific characters of different regions, they attract visitors and belong to the natural heritage of the local people. This field guide provides an overview over the forests and tree species of the central highland of Xieng Khouang Province – a region known to most visitors because of the “Plain of Jars” with its ancient artefacts. The natural beauty of Xieng Khouang with its still existing forests however is nearly unknown. Experts believe that Lao forests contain a higher biodiversity than many other countries in South East Asia. Discovering Lao forests by identifying the rich diversity of trees can be very interesting and rewarding for Lao and foreign visitors alike. This book describes the morphology and ecology of the most common tree species of Xieng Khouang. It also informs about the use of different tree species and thus opens a window to rural economy as part of the Lao culture. The authors have drawn their considerable knowledge from many years of forest field work in the province of Xieng Khouang. Martin Greijmans worked with the ‘Lao Tree Seed Project’ (DANIDA funded), assessing 100 tree species for conservation. He is now working with local people in forest management and seed collection. Lutz Lehmann (DED) has been working with the ‘Nam Ngum Watershed Management and Conservation Project’ (funded by the German Government) on forest inventory, seed collection and direct sowing in numerous villages with local foresters and experienced villagers. Observations in the field as well as the collection of tree seed of many local tree species, germination trials in forest nurseries and planting the seedlings out in the field generated considerable knowledge about the ecology of the species. Frequent visits to local markets over the seasons and interviews with villagers helped to gather facts about the uses of different forest tree products. It turned out that some species are already on the brink of extinction since forests are being destroyed and trees are being exploited on a large scale. Others are still abundant but might be threatened in future. This field guide is an important step towards a first popular tree flora for Lao P.D.R.. Since Jules Vidal described the Lao flora in the 1960’s no other work has been available in Laos except from neighbouring countries. The book addresses foresters, botanists, students and laymen alike, hoping to stimulate many people to discover and learn about Lao forests, eventually propagating and planting local tree species and thus helping to preserve parts of the rich natural heritage of the country for future generations. Christiane Oermann – DED Lars Ravensbeck – LTSP Ole Pedersen – NREP DANIDA Contents Acknowledgements ............................................................................. Preface .................................................................................................. Background and Justification ............................................................. Use of the field guide ............................................................................ Part 1. Introduction ................................................................................ Part 2. Major Forest Types ................................................................... Part 3. The guide proper ....................................................................... References ........................................................................................... Appendices Appendix 1. Overview of Quercus spp. in Xieng Khouang .............. Appendix 2: Overview of the Castanopsis spp. .............................. and Lithocarpus spp. in Xieng Khouang ....................... Indices Lao .................................................................................................... Scientific .......................................................................................... Background and Justification NAWACOP in Xieng Khouang province has been carrying out activities concerning seed collection and distribution of seedlings, direct sowing, as well as collecting of information of the local tree flora. A large information and photographic data base compiled by Lutz Lehmann was catalogued and labelled with species-characteristic data for over 5 years. In addition information from the “Conservation Status Assessment of 100 Tree species” carried out in 2001-2002 by the Lao Tree Seed Project has been included. In that, one of the most urgent needs recognised concerned taxonomic descriptions to identify species, which are still greatly lacking in Laos even after the major contributions from Jules Vidal. Without an up to date tree flora it is almost impossible to start considering a species’ need for conservation. The same is true for forest types and their fragile microhabitats, of which many are disappearing in the name of development. Use of the field guide In part 1 this field guide introduces the “Plain of Jars” and its surrounding hills in Xieng Khouang province with its typical characteristics in topography and population to forest use. Then ten forest types found in this temperate region are described in the second part, which includes ecology, flora, use and threats endangering each habitat. Part 3 is the major section of the book describing almost 100 illustrated tree species in their natural habitat including their use and propagation potential. In Lao language a tree species name is often pre-ceded with “Mei” (Ä´É) which translates “tree”. In this book it is left out and this guidebook is obviously a tree flora. Species are ordered according to their occurrence in the forest recognised in Xieng Khouang. Each species has a colour on the page which may serve as a quick guide to possible tree species in that forest type. Some species with a wider ecological range have more colours on the page. Many Fagaceae members, the Oak and Chestnut family, are listed here because they are an important floristic component in several forest types and very useful to local people. Forest types Legend 1 Pine savannah forests and pine forests yellow 2 Mixed conifer+broadleaved forests light green 3 Moist evergreen forests dark green 4 Dry evergreen hill forests medium green 5 Riverine forests blue 6 Swamp forests black 7 Dry deciduous forests on limestone light grey 8 Moist, dense secondary forests orange 9 Dry, open secondary forests light violet 10 Transitional stages between forest types 3, 4 or 7; semi - medium evergreen or mixed deciduous+evergreen forest turquoise Note For each species description in part 3 the colour is included which represents the forest type it has been found. In the species descriptions first the local Lao name used in Xieng Khouang is mentioned, then names from other parts of Laos. The phonetic transliteration of the Lao names is based on Jules Vidal’s French system instead of the English, which serves the pronunciation of the names better. Sometimes a local name may refer to more than 1 species, and even to non-tree species, and then more information is needed to avoid confusion. Both the species descriptions and photographs in this book can help in identifying your tree. However it may well be that the specimen studied is not included here as many more tree species and non-timber species occur in Xieng Khouang then are described here. The problem is that little is known about these species and would at this stage only result in poorly described specimen. In this case we have to refer to other useful works such as “Trees of Northern Thailand” and “Trees in the Sikkim Himalayas”. When more detailed information is required a botanical specimen, preferable with flowers and/or fruits should be collected, including data on the habitat where the specimen is collected. These specimens can then be further studied with botanical experts such as at the Biology of the National University of Laos. We encourage botanical field work which is fundamental in increasing our knowledge about the flora and forest ecosystems. Needless to say is that this first tree field