Licensee Practices on Forest Regeneration in Kuala Balah Permanent Reserve Forest, Kelantan, Peninsular Malaysia

Forest regeneration is important to ensure adequate residual stand for the next cutting cycle in poorly stocked logged-over compartment. A regeneration activity has been implemented at abandoned areas to restructure forest contents for quality and healthy composition of timber species. At the skid trails, logs are drag for preparation, stacking and loading out to the log yard. In such areas, trees could not survive naturally as a result of soil compaction. The areas need to be ploughed prior to planting. Forest licensee is responsible for replanting timber trees at log yards, skid trails and ex-logging camp. This study was carried out to determine forest regeneration activities and to identify issues on sustaining timber yield in Kuala Balah Permanent Reserve Forest, Kelantan. The compartment is managed by Kelantan Integrated Timber Complex (KPK). Primary data were collected from 150 respondents from field staff of KPK, sub-contract field workers and nursery labourers who were engaged in the activities. The respondents were given a questionnaire to survey and identify the problems faced during replanting activities. The study found that forest regeneration activities inevitably allowed proportion of vigorous and quality indigenous timber species and artificially increased the volume of specific regeneration into the loggedover forest for the next cutting cycle.