Tak Province
Thailand's First Petrified Forest Park
A large petrified log, partially exposed for about 1 meter, was found by a villager in a reserve forest at Ban Tak District, Tak Province, in October 2003. The discovery of the petrified wood was reported to the National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department, under the administration of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. The officer from the department subsequently came to examine the petrified log and survey the surrounding area. The petrified log was further excavated and was found to be about 4 m and 1.8 m wide at the base and the middle, respectively. The trunk was exposed to a length of 21 m without reaching the upper end (Fig. 3.B ). Many additional pieces of petrified wood were found scattered in the surrounding area covering 35 km2 or more. Some pieces were found on the soil surface and some only partly exposed. From the survey and potentiality of the natural resources of the area, it was proposed on 29 December 2003 that a forest park be set up, covering an area of 2,000 hectares (KRUAYOO, 2006).