The Experimental Forest Management Office is located at the Taichung main campus of National Chung Hsing University and is the custodian of the four forest stations, Wenshan, Tungshih, Huisun, and Hsinhua. EFMO has a total of 21permanent staffs and 35 contractors. See below for EFMO’s organizational chart.

The missions of these four experimental forest stations are:

1. To offer first-in-class facilities and fields for research, teaching and professional training.
2. To maintain and enhance this forest’s natural capability of water and soil conservation of these forests.
3. To operate, maintain and enhance the existing forest recreational facilities so that revenues generated from the recreational operations can fund all operating expenses of these forests with an exception of the manpower expenses.

As the custodian, administrator and operator of these experimental forest, the Experimental Forest Management Office(EFMO) is mandated to fulfill the above missions. To fulfill these missions, the administration and operations of these four forest stations are divided into the following key areas

Ⅰ.Research and Professional Training in Forestry
(1)Professional Training
These four experimental forests offer outstanding facilities and fields for reseach and professional training for the researchers and students of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, National Chung Hsing University. The forests and facilities are an ideal setting for wide-variety of short-term or long-term research projects Dendrolgy, Silviculture, Forest Management, forest Survey, Water and Soil Conservation, Entomology, Life Science, Phytopathology and in many more subject areas in agriculture and natural resources.

These forests also offer an excellent ground for professional and hands-on training not omly for students of the National Chung Hsing University but also for the students from other educational institutions such as Chiayi University, Chinese Culture University, Univere College of Technology, Taichung Agriculture Vocational Senior High School.

As part of the continued research activities, the Experimental forest Mamagement Office publishes the “Quarterly Journal Forest Research” as a forum for the research results.

(2)Specialized Experimental zones for Research
To expedite research activities that specific to a particular forest or to an area of a forest, the Experimental Forest Management Office has established and maintained several specialized experimental zones or sites, such as “Guandashi Long Term Ecological Research Site”,”Calocedrus formosana, Schima superba, Conservation District” and “Native plants Garden”. All new research activities specific to these specialized experimental zones can then be set up with ease.

Ⅱ.Forest Management
(1)Silviculture
Taiwan’s national forest management directions had shifted to conservation from wood harvesting since 1982. the traditional forest management activities such as Silviculture are playing a lesser role in the overall forest management. EFMO will continue its reduced Silviculture program as long as it is needed.

However, the current forest management is focused on forest conservation. In conjunction with water and soil conservation, forest conservation plays a key role of securing stable and adequate water supply for the population and for meeting industry needs.

As part of public awareness program, EFMO in cooperation with appropriate agencies plans to use part of these forests to “show case” landscaping and gardening to city planners and the general public.

a. Forest Management

After having a rigorous monitoring and detection program implemented, there have been no illegal loggings in these forests reported in the last two decades. The Experimental Forest Management Office intends to continue this monitoring and detection program.

b. Forest roads management

These four forest stations have about 60 kilometers of roads and trails. It is the responsibility of Experimental Forest management Office (EFMO) to maintain these roads and trails. With limited resources and difficult terrains of these forests, EFMO has been challenged time after time to maintain these roads and trails. EEMO was further challenged by the severity and amount of road and trail damages caused by the “921 Earthquake” in 1999. With dedicated EFMO employees and special financial assistance from the Central Government, all re-construction or repairs of the road and trails damaged by earthquake have either been completed or well under way to completion.

c. Forest resources management

(a) From forest harvesting to Coffee/Longan harvesting conservation from forest harvesting in 1982. Other than forest thinning as required for forest management at times, there has been virtually no forest harvesting since this shift. The only harvestings done are picking coffee beams at Huisum Forest and picking Lomgams at Hsinhua Forest. Coffee beans and Longan harvesting will continue to be managed by EFMO.
(b) Water resources management
As a result of rapid population growth and industrial/commercial developments, demand for water has been increasing constantly. This heightens the importance and public’s awareness of sound forest management for securing good water supply. Under EFMO’s management, these four forest station play a very important role in Taiwan’s current and future water supply and have been designed as protected water resources zones. Specific designations are:

• Wenshan Experimental Forest is designated as part of Great Taipei Water Resources Protection Zone.
• Huisun Experimental Forest is designated as part of Hu-Tou Pi Reservoir Water Resources Protection Zone.
• Huisun Experimental Forest is designated as part of the Great Taichung Drinking Water Resources and Quality Protection Zone.

EFMO will continue managing these forest as key water resources.
(c) Plant Managemnet
Plant management of these four forest is another EFMO’s responsibility. These four forests have had a great collection of plant species that have to be properly managed. Nevertheless, each plant needs a very specific and delicate environment to survive and grow. It is EFMO’s responsibility to ensure that these delicate environments remain undisturbed. For example, the area of Huisun Forest Station constitutes only 0.2% of the total area of Taiwan. But, it is home for 1,119 plant species, a 25% of know plant species of Taiwan. There are 30 Familes and 241 species of ferns, 9 families and 37 species of gymnosperm, 141 families and 841 species of angiosperm in a total of 1,119 species found in this forest.
Meanwhile, EFMO is responsible for creating protection zone for rare plants and protected plant species. For example, the Huisun Forest Station has established:

• Protection Zone for 60 Calocedrus Formosan including maternal trees
• Protection Zone for 183 Schima superba including maternal trees.

A Protection Zone for Pasania nantoensis is currently being planned and will be established as soon as the planning is completed.
(d)Wildlife
These four forest stations provide great shelters and of feeding grounds for wildlife. For example, the Huisun forest station is home for 80species of birds, 23species of mammals, 506 species of insects, 13apecies of amphibians, 7species of large-sized aquatics, 70species of detritivores. It is EFMO’s responsibility of ensuring that the wildlife remain undisturbed and continue to make these forest their homes.
(e)Recreation and education
In order to strike a balances between forest conservation and public access, 1,567 hectares of the Huisun forest were designated as the forest recreational zone is featured:

 

• An interpretive center with full time interpreters and a series of broachers published by EFMO for interpretive services.
• A garden of native vegetation
• A garden of native orchids.
• A 350-guest hotel combined with log cabins
• A restaurant/coffee shop specialized in coffee brewed from the coffee beams grown in the Hui-Sun forest

In addition to operating the above facilities, EFMO through the Hui-Sun Forest Station also running a variety of landscaping and ecological tours. Revenues generated from these facilities and activities have help fund the operations of these forests.

Build for Sustainable Future
EFMO with its four branch station shall continue maintaining and operating these four research and professional training. EFMO shall also continue to maintain and enhance the natural capability of water and soil conservation of these forests. In conjunction with GIS layered data and satellite imagery processing, EFMO plans to computerize the experimental forest management as its near-term goal. Furthermore, with an exception of manpower expenses, EFMO is expected to be self-sufficient financially. Hence, EFMO plans to further develop limited number of new forest recreational sites or centers with minimum or no interference with the eco-systems of these four forests. Revenues generated from these new sites or centers will eventually enable EFMO to become self-sufficient.