Forest Management Plan - Sabah Forestry Department

3.0: FOREST RESOURCES3.1 Forest StratificationBased on the visual interpretation of satellite images (5 m resolution Spot Image takenin July 2003 – Figure 3.1), the entire FMU 17A was initially classified into 5 differentforest strata (Figure 3.2). The criterion for stratification is based on the number oftrees ≥ 60 cm dbh (Table 3.1) as interpreted from crown size. Such an assessment isintended to provide an overall impression of forest quality and timber stock for theentire FMU 17A and was further evaluated through ground surveys to verify strataclassification.Table 3.1: Forest Stratum for FMU 17A as interpreted from 5 m Panchromatic SpotImage taken in July 2003Stratum Forest Description Number of trees ha -1≥ 60 cm dbhArea (ha) % of totalarea1 Good forest > 16 230 0.52 Moderate forest 9-16 3,510 7.03 Poor forest 5-8 15,670 31.34 Very poor forest 0-4 26,970 53.85 Small crown forest* NA 2,850 5.7Oil Palm Plantation – Compartment 76 30 0.1Sub-Total 49,260 98.4Others: Infrastructure, roads, burnt area, etc. 810 1.6Total 50,070 100* Small crown forest: Forests on ultrabasic soils where trees are naturally ofsmaller diameters, generally not exceeding 60 cm dbh.This approach to forest stratification is a standard method used by the SFD, mainly toprovide a quick assessment of the commercial potential of a forest area and to aid inidentifying areas suitable for timber harvesting. Based on the Forest Stratum Map, only0.5% of the area is classified as good forest, 7% as moderate forest, while about 85 %(42,640 ha) is classified as ‘poor’ (31.3 %) or ‘very poor’ (53.8 %). The rest of the area,which is about 7.5%, is classified as small crown forest (mainly upland ultramafic forest)and open or burnt areas. The overall interpretation indicates that merchantable timberstocking over a large part of the FMU is extremely poor.13