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Part B, Working Papers, February 1974 - Special Collections - US ...

Part B, Working Papers, February 1974 - Special Collections - US ...

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deal from the form and structure of the original virgin forest.French colonialforest administration encouraged this type of forest use when it set aside limitedareas of forest In parks and reservesuse.and relegated the remainder to non-forestDuring the war that has proceeded almost continuously for the past twentyfiveyears, there has beenand parks. Kernan (_loc clt)states that:little opportunity to protect even the forest reservesManagement plans are inoperative and the distinctionhas been lost between forest land reserved for permanentproduction and forest land protected for ultimateconversion to agriculture. The Forestry Administrationcannot send anyone Into the forest to inspect or superviselogging. Consequently it has no way to distinguish whichlogs have been cut on areas legally designated for cutting. 'This extensively and diversely used forest carried theadded burden of providing the environment for a "forestwar".It was portions of this forest that were treated with herbicide.The task ofthe forestry study team was to determine the pre-spray status of the herbicideimpacted portions of the forest.modified by human use for many hundreds of years.The forests of the Indo-chlna peninsula have beenWhether this modification constitutesdevastation or reasonable use is a matter of individual opinion but the fact of greatchange from the original natural stands is well documented.modification is a function of population pressure and accessibility.The extent of theThe level ofchange varies from country to country and from region to region within each country.The forests of South Vietnam have been modified by use more than those of the otherfour countries. Thailand's forests have been changed somewhat less followed indecreasing order of modification by Cambodia and Laos.The forests of Cambodia areharvested not only for the benefit of the endemic population but also to provideresources for neighboring South Vietnam.Logs from Cambodia are moved down the MekongRiver and sold to the sawmills of the Mekong delta in South Vietnam. This trade inlogs has continued briskly throughout the period of the war.II-7

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