Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park

Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park is a national park located in the Loei, Phitsanulok and Phetchabun Provinces of Thailand. The protected area is located in the forested mountains of the Luang Prabang Range close to the border with Laos and is part of the Luang Prabang montane rain forests ecoregion.[1] The park was the base of operations of the long fight of Thai combatant in communist war of Thailand.

Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park
IUCN category II (national park)
Landform
Location within Thailand
LocationLoei, Phitsanulok and Phetchabun Provinces, Thailand
Coordinates16°58′36″N 101°02′24″E
Area307 km2 (119 sq mi)
Established1984
Visitors286,344 (in 2019)
Governing bodyDepartment of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation
Phitsanulok Wildlife
Endangered

Tiger
Phayom
Hopea ferrea
Dalbergia oliveri

Vulnerable

Asiatic black bear
Hopea odorata
Sumatran pine

Near threatened

Siamese fireback
Oriental darter

National Parks

Kaeng Chet Khwae
Namtok Chat Trakan
Phu Hin Rong Kla
Phu Soi Dao
Thung Salaeng Luang

Topography

The park landscape is generally dominated by mountainous terrain. The northern part of the park stretches to the border with Laos. The southern part of the park extends into the Phetchabun Province. Mountain peaks include Phu Phang Ma, Phu Lom Lo and Phu Hin Rong Kla. The 1,768 metres (5,801 ft) high Phu Thap Boek is the highest mountain in the park in Loei province. The second tallest is Phu Lom Lo at an elevation of 1,664 metres (5,459 ft). Within the park are the sources of the Mueat Don and Luang Yai Rivers.[2]

History

In 1968 - 1982, Phu hin rong kla or Phu rong kla is a dense jungle and the red area because it is a battle field between Communist of Thailand party and Security Forces. At the end of the fight, there was no winner because the Security Force announced a temporary policy. They gave a chance to students and people who escaped into the jungle come back to the city and help them develop the country.[3] Two years later, in 1984 Phu Hin Rong Kla was declared as Thailand's 48th national park.[4]

Climate

The park is generally cool all year round, with temperatures rarely rising above 25 °C (77 °F). The temperature occasionally drops below freezing.[2]

Flora

The park has mixed deciduous, dry dipterocarp, hill evergreen and pine forests.[2]

Dry Dipterocarp Forest[5]

The lower Mekong Dry Forest Ecoregion is characterized by a mosaic of habitats. The main forest type is deciduous forest. On higher quality soils or at higher elevation, areas of mixed deciduous forest and semi-evergreen forest occur. This mosaic of forest type is one of the reasons why such a large quantity and diversity of species are home to this landscape - the diverse forest patches act as key resource areas and refugia for a lot of wildlife.

Deciduous dipterocarp forests typically have an open canopy combined with a grassy understorey. Member of the forest's namesake family Dipterocarpaceae dominate the vegetation. While all other Dipterocarp-trees are evergreen, the six species in the dry forest are the only ones that lose their leaves during the dryer months of November to April. This is likely to be an adaptation to the region's climate with its strong, extended wet and dry seasons - shedding the leaves decreases the tree's surface area and reduces the amount of water that the trees lose due to transpiration.

Semi-evergreen forests have a taller and multilayered forest structure than deciduous dipterocarp forests. While such forest to lowland evergreen rain forest, they grow in areas with lower and more seasonal rainfall and are characterized by lower species diversity. Bamboos are common in the semi-evergreen forests of Cambodia's Eastern Plains Landscape, especially along seasonal waterways and after disturbance. Within the Dry Forest Ecoregion, semi-evergreen forest patches are essential in providing shelter to large mammals and key resources to many species.

Interspersed within these forests are seasonally inundated wetlands; natural clearings that provide sources of food and water for a wide variety if wildlife, especially during the latter stages of the dry season. These wetland, along with scattered permanent pools along seasonal river beds, form a crucial resource network throughout the Dry Forest Ecoregion, especially in the Eastern Plains and help to maintain many of its ecological processes.

Hill evergreen Forest[6]

This type of forest is less dense than the tropical evergreen forest because it has less large trees. This type of forest too is green all year round. The climate is quite cool because it is found at high altitudes. the hill evergreen forest is very important to the preservation of water sources.

Trees are mainly shrubs mixed with some pines. Smaller plants in the forest include ground orchids (Habenaria rdocheila, Phalaenopsis pulcherrima and Thunia alba) and other tropical plants such as wild roses, violets and lilacs (Caulokaempferia alba, C.saxicola and Impatiens musicola.[7] In addition there are small plants that grow on the larger trees such as moss and orchids.

Pine Forest[8]

There is only pine in the forest which is pine two leaves and three leaves. Normally pine forest grow lower than rainforest or same level as rainforest. In dry area can grow as well, but more than 200–1,800 metres (660–5,910 ft) from sea level. In Thailand pine forest mostly growth in Northern and East Northern part.

Fauna

At the present, humans come and settle down so there are less wild animals in the national park.
The number of sightings in the park are:[9]
Nine species of mammels, include:[9]

One species of turtles in the park:[9]

Four species of lizards, include:[9]

Thirteen species of reptiles, include:[9]

Thirteen species of amphibians, include:[9]

The park has 222 species of birds, of which 165 species of passerines include:[9]

57 species of non-passerines include

Places
  • Lan Hin Taek - a big broken stone sheet that looks similar to splitting land. It is covered with orchids, ferns, mosses, lichens and seasonal flowers.[10]
  • Lan Hin Pum - natural rock formations.
  • Nam Tok Mun Daeng - a 32-tiered waterfall of the Mun creeck that flows throughout the year.
  • Nam Tok Rom Klao and Paradon - waterfalls.
  • Nam Tok Pha Lad and Tad Fah - waterfalls.
  • Nam Tok Sri Patcharin - waterfall, named to remember soldiers from the Sri Patcharin Militairy Camp, Khon Kaen to fight communists.
  • Thailand-Communism museum.[11]

Effect of human presence

Much of the forest was damaged and much of the wildlife was killed or fled to safer areas during a period when the region was used as a battlefield between the Thai government and the communists.[2]

References
  1. Luang Prabang montane rain forests
  2. "Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park". Department of National Parks (Thailand). Archived from the original on 18 April 2016. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
  3. "history".
  4. "พระราชกฤษฎีกา กำหนดบริเวณที่ดินป่าภูหินร่องกล้า ในท้องที่ตำบลบ่อโพธ์ ตำบลเนินเพิ่ม ตำบลบ้านแยง อำเภอนครไทอ จังหวัดพิษณโลก และตำบลกกสะทอน อำเภอด่านช้าย จังหวัดเลย ให้เป็นอุทยานแหงชาติ. พ.ศ.๒๕๒๗" [Royal Decree: Set the area of Phu Hin Rong Kla forest in the area of Bo Pho subdistrict, Noen Phoem subdistrict, Ban Yaeng subdistrict, Nakhon Thai district, Phitsanulok province and Kok Sathon subdistrict, Dan sai district, Loei province to be a national park. B.E.2527 (1984)] (PDF). Royal Thai Government Gazette. 101 (96): 4–6. 26 July 1984. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  5. "dry dipterocarp". Archived from the original on 2015-05-21.
  6. "hill evergreen". Archived from the original on 2017-07-28.
  7. "The Best of national Parks of Thailand" (PDF). Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation. 2020. p. 39. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  8. "pine forest".
  9. "Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park". Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation. 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  10. Phitsanulok at ThaiWebsites.com
  11. Phitsanulok. Provincial Development Stategy Group Phitsanulok. 2005. pp. 85–94. ISBN 974-458-068-2.
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