Field Trip - Segari Melintang Forest Reserved and Eco-Education Center Kuala Sepetang

FIELD TRIP TO COMPARTMENT 42 SEGARI MELINTANG FOREST RESERVED

On 27/01/2012, I had a second trip to Compartment 42, Segari Melintang Forest Reserved, Lumut, Perak with my fellow student. This time, I was accompanied by Cik Nafizah because of En. Kamal has to stay home alerts for his fourth baby delivery. We departed from PSA nearly 11.00 o.clock and the journey took almost 5 hours thanks to our beloved drivers, En. Murad and En. Mazhar. We stopped at Tapah R&R to perform Solat Jama' and Qasar and also to refill our stomach with some food on the way to the Segari.

Me and my fellow student posed in front of bus.

The cheerful faces whenever there is an outing.

We reached at Segari at 4.00 o'clock and welcomed by En. Ahmad Zamri along with three other officers, Mr. Fizan, Mr. Faizal and Mr. Ismail. Seems the nightfall has just coming soon, En. Ahmad Zamri urged our group to start entering the trail towards the compartment. After a short brief, the measuring and tagging of the big-sized trees activity took place. The activities consumed almost two hours of duration and we have successfully managed to record 29 trees. Most of the tagged trees are species from dipterocarp family and only a few numbers fall under non-dipterocarp. For dipterocarp species, Me and Mr. Ahmah Zamri have identified the present of Shorea bracteolata (Meranti Paang), Shorea macroptera (Melantai), Shorea curtisii (Seraya), Shorea faguetiana (Damar Siput), Shorea dasyphylla (Meranti Batu), Shorea lamellata (Meranti Lapis), Shorea leprosula (Meranti Tembaga) and Hopea beccariana (Merawan Batu) to name a few.

Mr. Ahmad Zamri briefed my student about Compartment 42, Segari Melintang Forest Reserved.

In my previous trip to Segari Melintang, I took the picture of Shorea lumutensis inner bark and surprisingly it shows the unusual characters of Balau Group of Shorea, laminated, which is the main characteristic of Meranti Pa'ang Group of Shorea. I tried to convince Mr. Ahmad Zamri that the inner bark in the photo is really the feature of Shorea lumutensis. So, I took a picture again and show him what I had claimed before. Mr. Ahmad Zamri so surprised when he saw again by his own eyes but at last he is willing to accept that Shorea lumutensis shared the similar inner bark characters with Meranti Pa'ang Group of Shorea. What denied Shorea lumutensis falls under Meranti Pa'ang Group is FRIM has confirmed the species is truly Shorea lumutensis (Balau Putih) based on chemical analysis.

Laminated inner bark of Shorea lumutensis. The only Balau species that characterized by the laminated inner bark.

Students ascending the hilly terrain.

Snap shot with some of my students.

Measuring and tagging the big size trees.

A typical scaly bark of Shorea bracteolata.

A photo with Forestry Department's officers.

At the end of the visit, Mr. Ahmad Zamri has proposed a collaboration between Politeknik Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah with Forestry Department of Perak to establish a foster program in order to manage the Compartment 42 Segari Melintang Forest Reserved with a proper manner in conjunction with sustainable forest management regimes. The session end at 6.45 p.m.

FIELD TRIP TO ECO-EDUCATION CENTER LARUT MATANG, KUALA SEPETANG

The next following day (28/01/2012), we traveled to Eco-Education Center Larut Matang, Kuala Sepetang, the only place where we can see a unique formation of our tropical rainforest characterized by adaptation roots called stilt-roots and pneumatophores. Our visit welcomed by Mr. Nazaruddin, the old timer who is very synonym with mangrove forest here. 

Mr. Nazaruddin briefed my students about mangrove forest.

A replica of charcoal kiln.

Me and Miss Nafizah.

A very common scenery of stilt-root characterized this type of forest.

Piai Lasa dominated the understorey layer of this forest.

Rhizophora apiculata (Bakau Minyak) planted in the vegetative-clear area.

Our group took this opportunity to take a shot in front of the largest tree in this forest reserved, Rhizophora apiculata (Bakau Minyak).

We headed for charcoal factory area to look more closer on how they made the charcoal from mangroves timber. Although this place is quite warm, seeing the charcoal manufacturing processes is very fascinating and informative. The tour took about 1 hour before we all returned back to the Eco-Education Center for another activity.

Joyful moment before entering the dark of charcoal factory.

Briefing from Mr. Nazaruddin.

Ready for the tour.

First stage of charcoal making.

My students had an opportunity to get into the kiln to look more closer what lies inside there.

Debarked bakau timber ready for drying.

First stage of making charcoal.

Me and Ahmad Fitri inside the kiln.

A snap shot at the loading bay.

Looking for mangroves fauna.

Knee-shaped pneumatophores.

Mangroves swamp forest.

We are also given the opportunity planting the seeds of Rhizophora apiculata (Bakau Minyak) in a poly bag at the nursery. This is some kind of our contribution towards better environment and sustainable forest management.

Students are so busy planting the seeds in poly bags.

Poor Bella get stuck in the thick mud.

Rhizophora mucronata (Bakau Kurap) leaves.

When the nightfall, my students and I have a visit to Taiping Zoo Night Safari. What a joyful ride and night experience in the zoo I must say.

In front of Taiping Zoo welcome signboard.

On the next morning (29/01/2012), we checked out at 9.00 o'clock and headed for Burmese Pool, a recreational area that hidden inside the thick foothill forest of Bukit Larut. In my previous trips, I never noticed that there is a place for recreational which located near the Taiping Zoo, perhaps there is no one telling me so. It is a beautiful place for family outdoor activity running from the busy of city's living.

River, here we come!

A souvenir outlet.

A hut near the Burmese Pool area.

My students had enjoyed their leisure hours very much after a very busy days studying the formation of mangroves swamp forest in the previous day.

A "superman" Afiq just to take off.

Another victim of flying trapeze, "Bean".

"Papa" Farizuan also dived.

Mala, Me and Nabilah at Tapah R&R.

Hafizi a.k.a Nile crocodile and Bella.

Me and Afiq.

The joyful moment with my students (DBK1 Dec 2011) will last in my memory forever. This is the most enjoyable trips since the last June 2011 batch (presently DBK2A & DBK2B) I ever experienced. I really hope that I can come back later in the next semester for more fascinating trip. We headed back to PSA at 12.30 p.m.

 

Wrote by:

Zaril Faizal bin Zaral Gaffar