Doi Suthep-Pui National Park is noted for its floral diversity but due to forest degredation and the delimitation of its boundaries at least two forest communities would be properly included in the park are in practice absent.
One is the lowland riverine forest community characterised by dominant trees notably Hopea odorata, Aphanamixis polystachya, Toona ciliata, Holoptelea integrafolia, Celtis spp., Salix tetrasperma, Eugenia formosa,,Terminalia bellirica, Dipterocarpus turbinatus, Ficus callosa, Drypetes roxburghii and Cleidon spiciflorum. Fragmented remnants of this community, mostly as old trees exist in the park at Mae Hia Nai.
Fragments of a second riparian plant community can be found just outside the park boundary south of the Mok Fah Waterfall in Mae Daeng District. There two species not found in the park have been identified.
One is Pometia pinnata and is shown inthe photo here. Just remember the P sign is not for parking but for Pometia. These trees were raised from seedlings collected from the Huey Rong Waterfall in Phrae and Gum Hak Doi Suthep has had them planted at Huey Teng Tao, Mae Sa Waterfall, Mok Fah Waterfall and here at Montatarn Waterfall.
This Tuesday from 4.00 pm we plan to plant seedlings we raised of Chisocheton siamensis at Montatarn Waterfall and do some weed control to encourage natural regeneration of trees from the surrounding forest.
Some recently planted trees in this area include Teak (Tectona grandis) and Rain Trees (Samanea saman), neither of which are native in the moist forest of Doi Suthep and the Rain Tree being from America.
We can suggest to the park management that these trees be removed.
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