FOREST ROAD DENSITY IN KHAO YAI NATIONAL PARK

Abstract

This study was aimed at finding impaction index of forest road construction effect to forest ecosystem for establishing road guideline in forest road planning and design in national parks for minimal effect of road construction to wildlife and environment purpose. The scope of study included paved and unpaved roads in Khao Yai National Park. The national park area was divided into 6 management zones. The study areas were intensive use zone, outdoor recreation zone, special use zone, recovery zone, strict nature reserve zone, and primitive zone. The road density indexes of intensive use zone and outdoor recreation zone were 0.802 km./ sq.km. The road density indexes of special use zone and recovery zone were 1,017, and 1.709 km./sq.km. respectively. No road was found in the strict nature reserve zone and primitive zone. Thus, road density index was 0.0 km./sq.km. In over all, the average forest road density of Khao Yai National Park was 0.185 km./sq.km. that was very low and had no effect to wildlife and environment, but the amount of roads are not enough to promote tourist industry in Khao Yai National Park that had daily tourist 2,055 persons per day and daily traffic 641 vehicles per day.