PAI*: 2009

วันพุธที่ 21 มกราคม พ.ศ. 2552

" D O I * S U T H E P "
(( C H I A N G M A I ))

Doi Suthep-Pui used to be known as Doi Oi Chang. Its new name comes from the name of a hermit, Prarusiwasuthep who lived at Doi Suthep-Pui was a protected forest. In 1973, The Royal Forest Department decided that Doi Suthep and 13 other forest areas in the country should eventually be national parks. The Royal Forest Department sent Mr.Panya Boonsomboon to survey the area. After that, the national park committed decided that only forest in good condition should be included in Doi Suthep-Pui National park and areas occupied by villagers should be excluded. In 1981, 100,662.50 rai in Chiang Mai were officialy gazetted as Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, Making it the country’s 24th. The following year, an additional 62,500 rai were annexed to the park, bringing the total to 163,162.50 rai (262.50) square Kilometers).

Topography
Doi Suthep, Doi Buakha and Doi Pui are the three main peaks in the park. The highest peak, Doi Pui, rises to 1,685 meters above mean sea levels.

Climate
Because of the high altitude, the weather on the upper slopes of the mountains is cool and pleasant all year even in hot season, average temperature is about 20-23 c. In the cool season, the air is cold and clear. Temperature can drop as low as 6 c in February, August and September are the wettest months with rain falling daily.

Flora and Fauna

There are two basic types of forest on the mountain:
Deciduous forest below about 1,000 m elevation and
evergreen forest above. The deciduous is further divided into two kinds, deciduous dipterocarp-oak Forest in the driest areas and mixed evergreen deciduous forest along streams and gullies. Common species are trees of the families Dipterocarpaceae, Fagaceae and Magnoliaceae.

Wildlife in the park includes common muntjac, wild boar, macaque and other small mammals. More than 300 species of birds can be seen here, including red junglefowl, pheasants, eagles, parrots, bulbuls and minivets. Rare species of amphibian, the crocodile salamander that can be found in only four localities in Thailand, one in Doi Suthep.

วันอังคารที่ 20 มกราคม พ.ศ. 2552

Doi Inthanon

Doi Inthanon National Park

"The Roof of Thailand"

Located in Chiang Mai Province, Doi Inthanon National Park encompasses the highest mountain In Thailand, Doi Inthanon, as well as several lesser summits. The doi (mountain) is largely a granite batholith intruding a southerly extension of the Shan Hills range and forming the divide between the Nam Mae Ping river to the east and the Nam Mae Chaem river to the west. Lower elevations in the most easterly pant of the park are limestone formations and contain a number of caves.

Formerly known as Doi Angka, the mountain now bears (since 1899) a shortened version of the name of Chiang Mai's last sovereign, King Inthawichayanon. During his reign, he had, with great foresight, expressed his concern for the forests of the northern hill country as the watershed for all of central Thailand. The modern study of rain forest hydrology has borne out his early convictions and given substance to Thai folklore which describes this hill region as the home of the Phiphannam, the 'spirit who shares water'. Before the King died near the turn of this century, he commanded that his remains be placed at the top of this mountain: his ashes at the summit stupa are visited by thousands of people each year.

The park covers an area of 48,240 ha. Its lowlands below 800 meters in elevation are warm and very dry during the rain-free season, but the summit of Doi Inthanon, at 2565 meters, has a climate more like Canada than Thailand. The temperature has been known to drop as low as -8 degrees C. and frosts are not unusual during the cool, dry season. January is the coldest month: an average nighttime temperature is 5.5 degrees C. At any season, Doi Inthanon is a comfortable reprieve from the heat of the lowlands. At altitudes above 1000 meters, rainfall exceeds 2500 mm, considerably more than at nearby Chiang Mai. Even in the dry season, November to April, there is rare but occasional rain or the summit may be shrouded in cloud for a part of the day; persistent mist is an important factor in the maintenance of moist forest there.
The various sub montane forest formations at higher elevations are a unique asset of the park. They have dominant species belonging to temperate climate families rather than tropical. The summit area supports the only red rhododendron in Thailand (R. delavayi); it blooms from December through February. There are also two white-blossomed species abundant on Doi Inthanon which are restricted to only a few other sites.

Where mists are persistent, the slopes carry a moist hill evergreen or 'cloud forest' with many epiphytes, plants which live on tree trunks and branches but do not receive their moisture and nutrients from the host tree as do true parasitic plants. Instead, they are nurtured by the accumulation of dust particles and humus around their 'root' area and the moisture retained there, augmented by frequent bathing in cloud and mist. Epiphytic orchids are also abundant, along with lichens, lianas and fern.

At mid-elevations, 800 - 1500 meters, two species of pine are present, Pinus merkusii mixed with dipterocarp in the lower range, and P. kesiya with oak and laurel on drier slopes in the upper range. The pines are thought to be a relic from a prehistoric cooler climatic period when flora from the Sino-Himalayan region migrated southward. At the mid-elevations of the park, much of the forest has been removed by the activities of swidden cultivators and the slopes have converted to fire climax grasslands.

Birdwatching: Because of its broad altitudinal range and the cool climate of its upper reaches, the park supports the largest number of bird species of any site in Thailand. The Center for Wildlife Research at Mahidol University records a present total of 362 species and expects additions; Many at the summit are migrants from northern Asia. Species restricted to Doi Inthanon are Ashy-throated Warbler and an endemic race of the Green tailed Sunbird; the park is the only site where the Chestnut-bellied Rockthrush and the Yellow-bellied Flowerpecker are known to oversummer and probably breed. Over 190 bird species are listed as common to abundant. Bird lists are available at the Visitor Center and at Park Headquarters.