Forage availability plays a crucial

Forage availability plays a crucial role in shaping wildlife habitats alongside shelters and special resources. This study focused on assessing wildlife habitat conditions in seasonally dry forests in Thailand, with a particular emphasis on forage plant abundance and utilization by large herbivores. The study site is located within a seasonally dry deciduous forest, specifically in sub-communities dominated by Shorea spp. and Terminalia corticosa, situated in the Huai Thap Salao - Huai Ra Bum Non-hunting area, Uthai Thani Province. The research aimed to evaluate the diversity of forage plant species and quantify the amount of forage utilized by ungulate animals. Forage surveys were conducted in six 60m x 120m permanent plots before and after wildfires using the twig count method. The findings revealed a significant difference in the number of forage plant species and their abundance between the pre-fire (xxx species, 100.16 kg/ha) and post-fire (xxx species, 402.06 kg/ha) periods. In the sub-community of Terminalia corticosa before the wildfires, no signs of wild animals exploiting forage plants were observed. However, in the post-wildfire period, ungulate animals exhibited a preference for grasses (9.81%) over other life forms. Additionally, a difference in the amount of available forage plants was observed between the two sub-communities, with the sub-community dominated by Shorea spp. (xxxx kg/ha) showing significantly higher forage plant availability compared to the sub-community of Terminalia corticosa (xxxx kg/ha). This study highlights the influence of forage plant abundance on ungulate utilization within the sub-community of Terminalia corticosa, emphasizing the significant impact of forage plant abundance on ungulate utilization within this sub-community. This implies the necessity for effective habitat management in the dry deciduous forests that are presently underutilized by large herbivores in this protected area.