Hello people and friends, welcome to a new edition of the report about the adventurous program to re-grow a forest around the Myinmethi village in Shan State, Myanmar.
To date, we remain on track and under budget to achieve the project objective of restoring a diverse forest (planting will be in the coming 2 years), while we work through land tenure challenges (Community Forest certification) and introducing a new pioneer species (needed to bring soil nutrients and later thinned out from the natural forest to repay our investors).
The Fighting Spirit of ACRE:
an Interview with our Project Administrator Yammin
Meet Ms. Yaminn, our indispensable project administrator who has been part of the team since inception. In her prior life, she was a successful international competitor in karate tournaments, winning several gold medals for Myanmar in the process!
ACRE: Hi Yaminn, you’re the admin secretary of ACRE Myinmethi programme. Can you briefly introduce yourself to the readers of our blog?
Yaminn: I was born in 1999, I’m now 25 years old. Both my parents are from Myinmethi village. I grew up and went to the local school here. When it was time for university, the school noticed I was good at sports, so they sent me to Mandalay, in a specialised sport section. I chose to do martial arts, karate in particular.
ACRE: So before joining the ACRE Myinmethi program, you were a professional karateka?
Yaminn: Professional, yes, but it wasn’t like I was making much money [laughs]! But yes, I was very busy with my training and with competitions. In 2019 and 2020 especially, I was part of the official Karate team selected to represent my country at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Manila, as well as for the University Games in Thailand. I scored 3 Gold medals and one Bronze medal…
ACRE: What? Three Gold Medals?
Yaminn: Yes! I was very motivated and I trained hard, all the time, so I won many katas (fights). When I returned to Myanmar, I was given honours by the Shan State Government. I have only a few pictures of the events, because at the time I could not afford to buy a mobile phone, so I only kept pictures from some of the magazines published at the time.
ACRE: When did you end your karate career, and why didn’t you stay involved with the sport, like becoming a karate teacher?
Yaminn: Hmm… [embarrassment] As you know, after the coup,I decided to return to my village, Myinmethi.
ACRE: How did you connect with the ACRE Program?
Yaminn: My father knows Ko Kyaw Min Tun, who is one of the supervisors from ACRE. I was interviewed by Saw Ephoe, our manager, and he hired me to manage administrative matters.
ACRE: What did you think about the program initially?
Yaminn: In the beginning, I wasn’t sure, but I understood it was about the environment, so I liked it. ACRE employed a lot of villagers to plant the pioneer trees, especially in its first year, and provided good jobs for our people. After the first year, my impression changed when I realised that the trees have actually managed to grow even in the rocky soil around Myinmethi! I’m now entirely convinced that we’ll have a forest around our village in 10 years.
ACRE: What have you learnt from this job?
Yaminn: [laughing] A lot! Before starting this job I never used a mobile phone for anything else than Facebook. Now I spend my days with Google Forms, filling in spreadsheets, uploading and filing invoices. Last month, I was given a laptop, and ACRE pays for my training at a private computer school in Kalaw. I learn how to use Microsoft Office, and also software for mapping, like Google Earth.
ACRE: How do you take care of ACRE bookkeeping?
Yaminn: That’s my main responsibility. Our manager Saw Ehphoe gives me the monthly budget in cash, from time to time, and I allocate the money to be spent according to the plan. For this we rely on Google Forms, where I indicate the type of expense, the amount, and I upload a picture of the voucher. With this method I can permanently reconcile the cash on hand with the balance indicated in the spreadsheet.
ACRE: You said you are studying mapping software. For what purpose?
Yaminn: This year, we are more and more serious about counting the trees. And not only counting, but also measurements. Management now asks us to measure the height of the trees, indicate the species, and calculate the density of each category on a map. We want to know where the trees grow better than at other places, and understand why. With this, we will be able to improve our approach in more difficult areas.
ACRE: Tell us about how you help recruit new staff.
Yaminn: It depends. There are some staff members who stayed with ACRE since the beginning, especially the two gentlemen who take care of Area 1 (see interview in blog post October 23). Others have had to leave, mainly due to family difficulties. Starting last year, we have been hiring refugees from civil war zones in Kayin State. They like the job, and it provides them accommodation. We let them stay in our small “guardhouses”.
ACRE: What are your plans for the future?
Yaminn: I want to work for ACRE in the long term. I love my job, I want to learn more and more.
Project Update
Filling in the Gaps: A New Pioneer
We are happy to report that we have maintained a sapling survival rate of 90% over two years, a figure classed as “Excellent” in multiple industry and academic publications which set this boundary at 70%.*
Sapling mortality, however, is not black and white. Among some trees, we see clear signs of faltering health, suggesting its inability in the future to provide adequate conditions for native trees to be planted interspersed for a healthy native forest.
To better quantify and understand our performance, we are now compiling a more detailed spatial inventory of our trees. With this, we will be able to better manage risks and identify ways we can further protect our trees.
In addition, we have begun to explore other species that could thrive where our initial selection struggled to take root (figuratively and literally). After more careful study of the area and communities, we have noticed a potential candidate for this: the White Leadtree, Wild Tamarind, [or faux acacia in French] (Leucaena leucocephala). Leucaena is almost ubiquitous in the area, which can grow up to 6 m (20 ft) in 2 years, and produces timber of reasonable quality, being the principal choice of farmers for fencepoles. But most importantly, it is also a nitrogen-fixing species, an essential function for our purposes.
With this discovery, we began to collect Leucaena seeds before the rainy season, preparing seedlings by soaking them overnight to maximize the chances of germination. Having previously marked underperforming saplings, we planted four seeds each with the expectation that they will coalesce and form a unique tree with four root systems.
Through this, we hope to compensate for lost progress and ensure that native species to be planted have the greatest chance of success in establishing a resilient, healthy forest.
Our team canvassed the area around Myinmethi to spot all the wild Leucaena trees. The pods that contain the seeds start appearing around May, but we will have to wait until July for them to ripen.
From then, we’ve collected tens of thousands of seeds, carefully extracted them for their pods. Before planting we soak them in warm water overnight. For fresh seeds, the germination rate is almost 100%. The main difficulty, when planting from seeds directly in the pit, is to return every few weeks in the beginning to clear the weeds: young seedlings can easily die in the proximity of stronger grassy plants competing for space and nutrients.
Recruitment of a Professor in Botany from Yangon University
We are now at the beginning of the 3rd year of the ACRE Myinmethi program, entering the dry season. In 18 months (not the coming rainy season, but the next one) we’ll be planting a selection of forest species under the protective canopy formed by our pioneer trees. We therefore have 18 months to choose the species we’ll grow in our nursery, and then plant in the field. In order to choose the right species, we must study the composition of the few small pockets of standing forest that have survived around Myinmethi.
The main standing forest in the area is called “Yay Aye Kan” (the lake Yay Aye), it is located 5 km West of Myinmethi village. It was not chopped down because it surrounds the main fresh water reservoir, a small artificial lake, that supplies the town of Kalaw. Kalaw was originally developed as a colonial resort town, catering to the British elite. The water reservoir was originally surrounded by 40 ha of densely protected forest. Now, illegal logging has reduced the total area of standing forest to 8 ha, while remaining the largest forest of its kind around Myinmethi.
Four different categories of trees are traditionally distinguished and together form a typical forest composition, from the ground up they are:
Forest floor species
Understorey species
Canopy species
Emergent species
From all the native tree species that have survived in Ye Aye Kan, we must make selections across these 4 layers, with the best chance of survival and propagation.
This is where we need expertise: our staff, including myself, don’t have the knowledge or experience to make a confident decision. We’ve therefore been actively looking to collaborate with a professional botanist. Last month we had a stroke of luck: we met Dr Moe [a pseudonym for security reasons], whose impressive CV includes a Phd in Botany, a Master of Research in Economic botany, Master of science in Cytogenetics and Pharmacognoscy. She leads a team of botanists who, like her, are seeking to join initiatives where their expertise could help their country.
Dr Moe will bring 2 additional botanists who will work to produce an inventory of the main species in each of the 4 layers at Ye Aye Kan forest. They will then research and train our team on how to propagate the selected species, some by cuttings, others from the seed.
This important cooperation will come at a cost for ACRE, so this is why we included it in our grant application to the German embassy’s Climate and Diplomacy Projects scheme outlined below. We see Dr. Moe’s help as indispensable in our reforestation efforts. With additional funding from the German embassy, we could invest more, and therefore maximize our chances of successfully reintroducing local forest species around Myinmethi.
Monsoon Season
Our last report from March 2024 centered on a persistent challenge of the dry season: wildfires. This year, the monsoon season began early, with consistent showers starting in mid-May and continuing through November. This extended rainy season is a welcome change, as in previous years we often had to wait until July for reliable rainfall, with drought conditions potentially returning as early as October. The above-average rainfall this year is surely a welcome one as it significantly enhances our chances of success.
Deep Cleaning & Fertilisation
We celebrated the 2nd “anniversary” of all the pioneer trees originally planted between June and September 2022. Young trees need help to be able to compete with weeds: we call the suppression of wild grasses and plants “weed cleaning”, which we perform every 3 months. In 2024 we cleaned the weeds every 4 months. With these trees more mature at 50 to 100 cm high, we reduced the cleaning to twice a year.
Like last year, we added a healthy dose of fertiliser to each pioneer tree. This will be repeated for the last time next year.
Maintenance
At ACRE’s inception, we invested in all kinds of small and large equipment: from hand tools such as hatchets or scythes, to machines such as a vegetal shredder or truck, or two-stroke motorized blowers used to fight wild fires, or even solar powered chargers used on site, they all suffer enormously in the tropical climate of Myinmethi. But thanks to the dedication of our team, we have been able to prolong the life of the equipment far beyond what was originally envisaged.
To give an idea of the DIY spirit animating the Myinmethi ACRE project, if we take all direct maintenance expenses (not counting the salaries of our staff) and cumulate all over the last 12 months, we barely reach USD300! And this includes fixing our warehouse, water installations, the motorcycles of the staff et cetera. Thrift is the name of the game: with ACRE the money goes to reforestation above all!
ACRE meets an obstacle to the community forest certification
Some may remember that the agreement between ACRE and the authorities of Myinmethi village includes the provision that ACRE will support the village to apply for registration of the land to be reforested into Community Forest (CF) land, a discrete legal classification. The Community Forest Instructions was first issued in 2005 and updated as recently as 2019. Once registered as a CF, ACRE’s program in Myinmethi would be well protected from any risk of expropriation.
As reported we have recruited a former Forest Department executive to guide us through the certification process. We have made significant progress with his input, with the weight of more than 130 households of Myinmethi village petitioning, receiving approvals at local, provincial and even district level, with the field visits of various commissions.
We expected to announce the successful registration in this report, when we encountered a setback, all too common in Myanmar: a senior member of an obscure administration “blocked” the application. While we cannot disclose specifics, we have a strategic plan to address this challenge, and we remain confident about registration, albeit taking longer than planned, under the Community Forest Law.
Validation of our Model: A site nearby with 6-years old acacia mangium
In the village of Myinka where Philippe lives, less than 10 km (6.5 mi) away from Myinmethi, a close German friend, married to a charming Burmese lady, purchased a plot of land 3 years ago. The previous owner had planted a hundred Acacia mangium trees (one of pioneer species in the ACRE program), and kept these trees because he doesn’t plan to build on his land anytime soon.
These trees are now 6 years old, standing up 10 to 12 m high. One day, he asked me what he should do: keep them or remove them? I seized the opportunity and offered that we optimally manage the “thinning” of his plantation: harvest some of them now, which will let more light in and help the other trees to grow healthily, until they are harvested in turn etc…
This experiment essentially reproduces future plans for the ACRE program in Myinmethi: harvesting 20% of trees starting from year 6 (2028) progressively until year 10 (2032), bringing in commercial returns for investors.
We started with an inventory exercise, mapping the location of each tree (see it here), proceeding to measure the diameter of the trees at 130 cm from the ground, a standard metric commonly abbreviated as DBH (diameter at breast height), the table is here.
After felling the requisite number of trees, the next step will be to separate the stem to achieve a marketable form. We estimate that the bottom 60% of the stem to be usable for cutting the wood into standard boards, with proper treatment by removing the bark, cutting these boards, and drying them. We aim to monetise the remainder of the tree (the upper 40% of the stem plus all the branches and the bark) by transforming it into wood pellets.
Our objectives are:
To test our capacity to store, process and sell the lumber, in provision of year 6 of Myinmethi project;
To evaluate the market price for processed lumber, and thus refine our financial projections;
Initiate contact with sawmills, drying facilities and other actors of the lumber supply chain in Myanmar.
We’ll be sure to keep you informed of this initiative on our future reports!
* 70% standard: https://www.forru.org/library/0000155,
Gratitude to all those who have
supported these important efforts!
A heartfelt thanks to our investors, who, back in 2022, believed in our vision and invested in the Myinmethi program:
The founders: Philippe Lenain & Tom Holland;
Mr. Ian Holliday;
Mr. Olivier Bertrand;
Mr. Marc Bunas;
Mrs. Martine Verrot;
Mr. Boris Granges;
Mrs. Bénédicte Nolens;
Mr. Bruno Mercier;
Mr. Guillaume Bougard;
Mrs. Ellen & Mr. Emmanuel Dupuy d'Angeac;
Mrs. Thuy Dao;
Mr. Vincent Claize;
Mr. Pascal Dro;
Mr. David John Stanton.
If you’re new to the project and you want to contribute, please contact us. If you’ve already invested and want to contribute more, you’re also welcome to!
Further Support Prospects:
The “Climate And Environmental Diplomacy Projects”
Last year, our dear friends Gill Pattison and Kevin Murphy visited the Myinmethi program and posted their kind views on Linkedin. They are themselves supporting a similar project in the Ayeyarwady region of Myanmar, dedicated to regrowing much needed mangrove forests.
In the weeks following their visits to Myinmethi, Gill introduced us to an initiative supported by the German embassy in Yangon, called the Climate and Environmental Diplomacy programme. While it was too late to submit an application then, we got in touch with Alexander, a representative from the embassy, who promised to inform us if the embassy considered financing new projects in the future.
As such, we were delighted last month when we received the advice from Alexander that we could lodge an application for a grant before 31st October, which we obviously did!
The Climate and Diplomacy Projects initiative offers grants up to €30,000 to cover fixed assets or operational costs.
This timing is ideal for ACRE Myinmethi because 2025 marks our preparation phase for selecting natural forest species, to be planted under the cover of our pioneer trees in 2026. This grant would allow us to leverage the expertise of trained botanists to guide us in species selection, seed collection, propagation methods and strategy, and germination control.
Given the proximity of the usage window, 2025, we expect a decision soon.
ACRE Cambodia project
The Myinmethi project, thanks to the support of our investors, has become a program. And during the past three years, we’ve been able to demonstrate our ability to operate in sometimes difficult conditions, to adapt to our environment, and to find solutions. This hasn’t gone totally unnoticed, and more and more serious international organisations are paying attention and contacting us.
This has inspired us to think bigger. We are confident now that we’re capable of doing exactly the same at a larger scale. But the situation in Myanmar is continually getting worse, and institutions are increasingly weakened by the civil war. It is absolutely impossible to raise capital for any type of venture, including nature-based climate solutions…
So we have turned our attention to Cambodia. Cambodia has many advantages. Firstly, it’s a country that has shown relative political stability for the last 20 years and has experienced strong economic growth. It has also attracted many international development funds able to deploy capital domestically. And both founders of Vana have worked in Cambodia; Philippe even speaks the language.
The ACRE Cambodia project is based on exactly the same principles as the Myinmethi program. But instead of trying to certify village land into community forest (CF), which is a challenge as we see in Myinmethi, thanks to our partnership with RECOFTC, we can start from already established CFs. We have therefore chosen 3 well-organised CFs in Kampong Thom province, together offering 451 ha of degraded land, perfectly suitable to implement the ACRE method to conduct our new pilot. Feel free to download the project’s pamphlet.
We are now discussing this pipeline with potential investors. Our hope is to be ready to start a small phase of the program in 2025, and step up to a fully-realised phase 1 pilot of 451 ha by 2026. If all goes well like it did in Myinmethi, our next step would be to extend the program to a new 4,500+ phase before 2030.
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