- OVERVIEW
- AGENDA
- RELATED
Wildfires in forest areas are a recurring issue in Thailand, primarily driven by human activities such as open burning and agricultural practices. Despite efforts to address the problem, the current wildfire management system is limited in scope and effectiveness. The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) and the Royal Forestry Department (RFD) face budget constraints and climate change impacts, making it critical to improve early warning systems and emergency responses.
To enhance wildfire management, the PROGREEN multi-donor trust fund, managed by the World Bank Group, is supporting a Technical Assistance to Improve Knowledge and Innovative Policy for Wildfire Reduction in Northern Thailand Project aimed at integrating environmental and socioeconomic indicators into a comprehensive wildfire risk map and developing a robust Fire Management Information System (FMIS). This workshop is part of the Activity I: Wildfire Risk Map and Management Information System of the Spatial Informatics Group (SIG).
The Royal Thai Government has sought this support to increase the effectiveness of wildfire management, particularly in early warning systems and emergency response. The key outputs include improving the accuracy of the wildfire risk map and the early warning system, as well as integrating DNP MIS information with other agencies’ MIS systems on wildfire reporting and emergency response in the nine northern provinces of Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Lamphun, Lampang, Payao, Phrae, Nan, Tak, and Mae Hong Son.
8:30 – 9:00 Registration
9:00 – 9:15
Opening Remarks
Ms. Waraporn Hirunwatsiri, Senior Environmental Specialist, Task Team Leader, World Bank Thailand
Welcome Remarks
Ms. Mona Sur, Practice Manager for Environment, Natural Resources and the Blue Economy in the East Asia and Pacific Region, World Bank
Director Narupon Thipmonta, Director of Forest Protection and Fire Control Office, DNP (TBC)
9:15 – 10:00 Presentations/Panel Discussions
Global Experience on Wildfire Management
Dr. Christopher Dunn, Faculty Research Associate, Oregon State University
Dr. Carrie Levine, Codirector of Forests & Agriculture, SIG
Dr. Kayla Johnston, Data Scientist, SIG
- Interagency Wildfire Planning with Potential Operations Delineations (PODs)
- Fire spread modeling with FARSITE
- Planscape: A user-friendly tool for fuel management planning
- A carbon market protocol for Reduced Emissions from Megafires (REM)
10:00 – 11:00 Presentation
Findings from Stakeholder Interviews and Consultations and Recommendations on the Integrated Fire Management Information System
Ms. Wasana Sittirin, Project Manager, Dr. Ate Poortinga, Senior Scientist, and Mr. Akkarapon Chaiyana, Cloud Engineer, SIG
- Fire Policy and Management
- Fire Risk Map Products
- Fire Management Informaion System
- Emergency Response
- Recommendations
Feedback and Q&A
11:00 – 11:15 Coffee Break
11:15 – 11:45 Discussion and Reflections on the Steps for an Integrated/national Fire Management Information System
Moderator: Dr Kobsak Wanthongchai, Dean of Faculty of Forestry, Kasetsart University
11:45 – 12:00
Reflections and a Summary from the Consultation
Closing Remarks
Dr. Karis Tenneson, Environmental Mapping Service Lead, SIG
Date: June 19 - 20, 2024 ET
Location: Bangkok, Thailand