The Global Tree Seed Bank Programme is securing some of our planet's most threatened, rare and useful tree species. Funded by the Garfield Weston Foundation and co-ordinated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the programme aims to collect and store seeds of more than 5,000 of the world's tree species. In Thailand, under the 3rd phase of the project, FORRU-CMU worked in partnership with the Bangkok Forestry Herbarium (BKF) to collect and conserve seeds of 300 native species. Together, we also produced conservation assessments and distribution maps on 225 rare or species for IUCN's Red List system, with support from RBG Kew’s Plant Assessment Unit (PAU). Full details of FORRU-CMU's contribution to this project can be read in the reports available via the download panel. Using the conservation assessments from this project, we are currently working with RBG Kew, BKF and the National Biobank of Thailand to co-author a paper on the status and conservation of Thailand's rare or threatened tree species, with a view to developing a nationwide system to collect their seeds and conserve them, by ensuring they are included in forest restoration plantings.
Latest news: this project was recently extended into a 4th phase (2024-26). During which FORRU-CMU will be involved in i) assessing the genetic structure of framework species populations; ii) assessing the supply and demand for seeds of framework tree species for restoration projects in Thailand; iii) determining the thermotolerance of framework species seeds (to build climate-change resilience into seed selection procedures) iv) developing planting-stock propagation procedures for data-deficient species and v) assisting Mount Ciremai National Park authority to establish their own FORRU in Indonesia. The project provides 3 full scholarships to CMU students to address these topics in their MSc and PhD projects.
For information about the Millennium Seed Bank and the The Global Tree Seed Bank Programme, please contact Dr. Kate.
21: Nursery technology and tree species selection for restoring forest biodiversity in northern Thailand
ABSTRACT: The Forest Restoration Research Unit (FORRU) was established in 1994 to develop methods to restore forest ecosystems in degraded areas for the conservation of biodiversity in northern...
22: Forest Restoration for Wildlife Conservation
In 2000, there was little interest in restoring tropical forest ecosystems as wildlife habitat. The need was to consolidate the concept and to identify how scientific research might contribute...
23: Morphological database of fruits and seeds of trees in Doi Suthep-Pui National Park
Abtract: Doi Suthep-Pui National Park supports an exceptionally high diversity of vascular plants. Surveys conducted by J.F. Maxwell since 1987 have enumerated a total of 2,145 species to date, of...
24: Tree Seeds and Seedlings for Restoring Forests in Northern Thailand
The forests of northern Thailand are fast disappearing, along with their wildlife and the many products and ecological services they provide for local communities and the national economy. In...
25: Forests for the Future: Growing and Planting Native Trees for Restoring Forest Ecosystems
All over Thailand, people who are concerned about the rapid destruction of the Kingdom's once magnificent forest are banding together to plant trees. Gone are the days when plantations of pines...
26: A Database of Seed and Fruit Morphology of Trees in Doi Suthep-Pui National Park
Magnolia garrettii (Craib) V.S.Kumar fruits & seedsABSTRACT: Doi Suthep-Pui National Park supports an exceptionally high diversity of vascular plants. Surveys conducted by J.F. Maxwell since 1987...
27: Forest restoration research in northern Thailand: 2. the fruits, seeds and seedlings of Gluta usitata (Wall.) Hou (Anacardiaceae)
Gluta usitata was one of the first tree species we looked into as a potential framework species for restoration lowland deciduous forest. Its red-winged fruits put on a spectacular display at the...
28: Forest Restoration Research in Northern Thailand, 1. The Fruits, Seeds and Seedlings of Hovenia dulcis Thunb. (Rhamnaceae)
Hovenia dulcis Thunb. (Rhamnaceae) is a rare native tree species recently added to Thailand's flora, found in stream valleys in primary lower montane evergreen forest 1,075- 1,250 m above sea...
29: Flowering and seed production phenology of dry tropical forest trees in northern Thailand
ABSTRACT: Restoring native forests to conserve biodiversity and for watershed protection requires detailed knowledge of ecosystem functioning, including flowering and fruiting phenology. Such data...
30: Factors affecting germination of tree seeds from dry tropical forests in northern Thailand
Kate Hardwick carried out the first research on forest tree seeds in our group in 1992, in a small nursery within CMU's Biology Department, whilst she was a volunteer with the Dhammanaat...