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Data & sources

Every figure, map and chart in this story can be traced back to its original source. Download the datasets to check them or reuse them.

Datasets

Download the dataset catalogue (CSV)

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All 8 datasets

Datasets used in the story
Dataset	Theme	Source	Period	Reliability	Download
1,841 community forest plotsUsed in chapter 01, 04 · v1.0	Community forests	TRF, Nan Community Forest Database^[1]Research	2018 imagery	High	GeoJSON · Coming soonCSV · Coming soon
VIIRS hotspots, fire seasonUsed in chapter 02 · v1.0	Fire	GISTDA via Nan Province^[3]Official	2023–2026	High	CSV · Coming soonGeoJSON · Coming soon
Burned area (burn scar)Used in chapter 02 · v1.0	Fire	GISTDA via Nan Province^[3]Official	2023–2025	Needs review	GeoTIFF · Coming soon
PM2.5 at stations 67t and 75tUsed in chapter 03 · v1.0	Air	Pollution Control Department (Air4Thai)^[4]Official	2019–2026	High	CSV · Coming soon
PM2.5 by regionUsed in chapter 03 · v1.0	Air	Rocket Media Lab / TCIJ^[5]Media · verify with original	2024–2025	Medium	CSV · Coming soon
Value of forest products (northern Thailand)Used in chapter 04 · v1.0	Livelihoods	Two research studies^[7]Research	2012–2022	Medium	XLSX · Coming soon
Respiratory disease risk groupsUsed in chapter 03, 04 · v1.0	Livelihoods	Nan Provincial Public Health Office (HDC)^[6]Official	FY2024	Medium	CSV · Coming soon
Central wildfire fund and LAO grantsUsed in chapter 05 · v1.0	Policy	Cabinet resolutions via media^[9]Media · verify with original	FY2024–2025	Needs review	XLSX · Coming soon

Community forestsReliability: High1,841 community forest plotsTRF, Nan Community Forest Database^[1] · Research2018 imagery · Used in chapter 01, 04GeoJSON · Coming soonCSV · Coming soon
FireReliability: HighVIIRS hotspots, fire seasonGISTDA via Nan Province^[3] · Official2023–2026 · Used in chapter 02CSV · Coming soonGeoJSON · Coming soon
FireReliability: Needs reviewBurned area (burn scar)GISTDA via Nan Province^[3] · Official2023–2025 · Used in chapter 02GeoTIFF · Coming soon
AirReliability: HighPM2.5 at stations 67t and 75tPollution Control Department (Air4Thai)^[4] · Official2019–2026 · Used in chapter 03CSV · Coming soon
AirReliability: MediumPM2.5 by regionRocket Media Lab / TCIJ^[5] · Media · verify with original2024–2025 · Used in chapter 03CSV · Coming soon
LivelihoodsReliability: MediumValue of forest products (northern Thailand)Two research studies^[7] · Research2012–2022 · Used in chapter 04XLSX · Coming soon
LivelihoodsReliability: MediumRespiratory disease risk groupsNan Provincial Public Health Office (HDC)^[6] · OfficialFY2024 · Used in chapter 03, 04CSV · Coming soon
PolicyReliability: Needs reviewCentral wildfire fund and LAO grantsCabinet resolutions via media^[9] · Media · verify with originalFY2024–2025 · Used in chapter 05XLSX · Coming soon

Source typeOfficial published directly by a government agencyResearch peer-reviewed or research reportMedia news report citing official data; verify with the original before publicationAll datasets are supplementary desk research by the team until the baseline datasets from Wyss Academy are received

Datasets produced by the project are published under a [CC BY-NC 4.0 — to be confirmed] licence · Data from external agencies is subject to the terms of the original source

How we work with data

A four-step process, following the scope of work agreed with Wyss Academy, so that the story carries as much weight as the evidence.

How figures are presented

The Thai edition uses Buddhist Era years; fiscal years start on 1 October. Every figure carries a reference number [n] linking to the list below.
Estimated or derived figures (such as percentage falls or monthly values) state how they were calculated in the chart’s source line.
Anything labelled “Sample data” is a demonstration value (for example district figures on the map) pending official data.
An unfinished fire season is drawn dashed with its cut-off date and is not compared with complete seasons.

01Review existing data and studiesGather datasets, reports and maps from Wyss Academy and partners, and check them for consistency and time coverage
02Test the story against the evidenceEvery key statement must be backed by evidence, with its confidence level and limitations stated
03Fill gaps with secondary dataFind reliable sources, assess their suitability before use, and always cite the original source
04Expert reviewWyss Academy experts check the accuracy of both the Thai and English versions before publication

Data limitations and gaps

We are open about what the data cannot yet tell us, so readers can interpret it with care and so we can point to the data that still needs to be collected.

Confirmed
Hotspots are not burned area
Satellites detect heat, not area burned, and may miss fires under the canopy.
Needs review
2024 burned area figures disagree
Two provincial reports give 134,721 and 232,800 rai; needs checking with GISTDA directly.
Collecting more
Community forests registered under the 2019 Act
No provincial figure found yet; we use the 1,841 plots from the 2018 survey and have requested data from the Royal Forest Department.
Collecting more
Hotspots for 2020–2022 and by district
Those reports are not yet accessible, and 2019 used MODIS, which is not directly comparable with VIIRS.
Collecting more
Community forest value specific to Nan
No Nan study exists yet; figures from Chiang Mai and Phetchabun differ almost tenfold.
Needs review
Budget reaching communities directly
Budget documents do not itemise down to community forests, and the LAO grant figure comes from parliamentary debate.

References

[1]
Thailand Research Fund (now TSRI). 2019. Developing a community and restored forest database for Nan Province (RDG60A0037).
Researchelibrary.tsri.or.th (Opens in a new tab)Used in chapter01 04Link working · checked 17 Oct 2026
[2]
National Statistical Office. 2025. Statistical Yearbook Thailand, Table 21.4 Forest area by province (Royal Forest Department data, 2024).
Officialnso.go.th (Opens in a new tab)Used in chapter01Link working · checked 17 Oct 2026
[3]
Nan Provincial Public Relations Office, 8 May 2024; Chiang Mai News, 30 May 2025; Siam Rath, 19 Mar 2026 — hotspots in Nan.
Officialnan.prd.go.th (Opens in a new tab)Used in chapter02Link working · checked 17 Oct 2026
[4]
Nan Forest Fire and Haze Control Centre (reported by Chiang Mai News). 30 May 2025.
Media · verify with originalchiangmainews.co.th (Opens in a new tab)Used in chapter03Link working · checked 17 Oct 2026
[5]
Rocket Media Lab / TCIJ. Mar 2026. PM2.5 means and exceedance days by region, 2024–2025.
Media · verify with originaltcijthai.com (Opens in a new tab)Used in chapter03Link working · checked 17 Oct 2026
[6]
Nan Provincial Public Health Office. May 2024. Provincial meeting brief (HDC data).
Officialwwwnno.moph.go.th (Opens in a new tab)Used in chapter03 04Link working · checked 17 Oct 2026
[7]
Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, Mahasarakham University (2022); Naresuan University Journal: Science and Technology — household value of forest products.
Researchso03.tci-thaijo.org (Opens in a new tab)Used in chapter04Link working · checked 17 Oct 2026
[8]
CGIAR Humidtropics. 2015. Situational Analysis: Nan Province, Thailand (citing the Nan Provincial Agriculture Office).
Researchhumidtropics.cgiar.org (Opens in a new tab)Used in chapter04Link working · checked 17 Oct 2026
[9]
Thai PBS Decode, 12 Mar 2025, wildfire central fund; InfoQuest; The Standard (LAO grants).
Media · verify with originalthaipbs.or.th (Opens in a new tab)Used in chapter05Link working · checked 17 Oct 2026
[10]
Chankrajang, T. 2019. State-community property-rights sharing in forests and its contributions to environmental outcomes. Journal of Development Economics 138.
Researchhazeportal.asean.org (Opens in a new tab)Used in chapter02 06Link working · checked 17 Oct 2026
[11]
Agarwal, S. et al. 2022. Journal of Land Use Science 17(1) — community forests and forest persistence in Nan, 2000–2019.
Researchresearch.dial.uclouvain.be (Opens in a new tab)Used in chapter02 06Link working · checked 17 Oct 2026
[12]
Burapha Science Journal. Monthly share of hotspots in Nan, 2018–2024.
Researchli05.tci-thaijo.org (Opens in a new tab)Used in chapter02Link working · checked 17 Oct 2026

How to cite this story

Wyss Academy for Nature Hub Southeast Asia. (2026). Nan's community forests: the system we don't see [Thai-language original with English edition]. http://localhost:3000/en

Found an error?

Let the team know, along with the correct source. We will review it and record any correction in the changelog.

Report an error

Changelog · v1.0 · data last updated 17 Oct 2026

Dataset

Theme

Source

Period

Reliability

Download

1,841 community forest plotsUsed in chapter 01, 04 · v1.0

Community forests

TRF, Nan Community Forest Database^[1]Research

2018 imagery

High

GeoJSON · Coming soonCSV · Coming soon

VIIRS hotspots, fire seasonUsed in chapter 02 · v1.0

Fire

GISTDA via Nan Province^[3]Official

2023–2026

High

CSV · Coming soonGeoJSON · Coming soon

Burned area (burn scar)Used in chapter 02 · v1.0

Fire

GISTDA via Nan Province^[3]Official

2023–2025

Needs review

GeoTIFF · Coming soon

PM2.5 at stations 67t and 75tUsed in chapter 03 · v1.0

Air

Pollution Control Department (Air4Thai)^[4]Official

2019–2026

High

CSV · Coming soon

PM2.5 by regionUsed in chapter 03 · v1.0

Air

Rocket Media Lab / TCIJ^[5]Media · verify with original

2024–2025

Medium

CSV · Coming soon

Value of forest products (northern Thailand)Used in chapter 04 · v1.0

Livelihoods

Two research studies^[7]Research

2012–2022

Medium

XLSX · Coming soon

Respiratory disease risk groupsUsed in chapter 03, 04 · v1.0

Livelihoods

Nan Provincial Public Health Office (HDC)^[6]Official

FY2024

Medium

CSV · Coming soon

Central wildfire fund and LAO grantsUsed in chapter 05 · v1.0

Policy

Cabinet resolutions via media^[9]Media · verify with original

FY2024–2025

Needs review

XLSX · Coming soon

How we work with data

A four-step process, following the scope of work agreed with Wyss Academy, so that the story carries as much weight as the evidence.

How figures are presented

The Thai edition uses Buddhist Era years; fiscal years start on 1 October. Every figure carries a reference number [n] linking to the list below.

Estimated or derived figures (such as percentage falls or monthly values) state how they were calculated in the chart’s source line.

Anything labelled “Sample data” is a demonstration value (for example district figures on the map) pending official data.

An unfinished fire season is drawn dashed with its cut-off date and is not compared with complete seasons.

Data limitations and gaps

We are open about what the data cannot yet tell us, so readers can interpret it with care and so we can point to the data that still needs to be collected.

Confirmed

Hotspots are not burned area

Satellites detect heat, not area burned, and may miss fires under the canopy.

Needs review

2024 burned area figures disagree

Two provincial reports give 134,721 and 232,800 rai; needs checking with GISTDA directly.

Collecting more

Community forests registered under the 2019 Act

No provincial figure found yet; we use the 1,841 plots from the 2018 survey and have requested data from the Royal Forest Department.

Collecting more

Hotspots for 2020–2022 and by district

Those reports are not yet accessible, and 2019 used MODIS, which is not directly comparable with VIIRS.

Collecting more

Community forest value specific to Nan

No Nan study exists yet; figures from Chiang Mai and Phetchabun differ almost tenfold.

Needs review

Budget reaching communities directly

Budget documents do not itemise down to community forests, and the LAO grant figure comes from parliamentary debate.

References

[1]

Thailand Research Fund (now TSRI). 2019. Developing a community and restored forest database for Nan Province (RDG60A0037).

Researchelibrary.tsri.or.thUsed in chapter01 04Link working · checked 17 Oct 2026

[2]

National Statistical Office. 2025. Statistical Yearbook Thailand, Table 21.4 Forest area by province (Royal Forest Department data, 2024).

Officialnso.go.thUsed in chapter01Link working · checked 17 Oct 2026

[3]

Nan Provincial Public Relations Office, 8 May 2024; Chiang Mai News, 30 May 2025; Siam Rath, 19 Mar 2026 — hotspots in Nan.

Officialnan.prd.go.thUsed in chapter02Link working · checked 17 Oct 2026

[4]

Nan Forest Fire and Haze Control Centre (reported by Chiang Mai News). 30 May 2025.

Media · verify with originalchiangmainews.co.thUsed in chapter03Link working · checked 17 Oct 2026

[5]

Rocket Media Lab / TCIJ. Mar 2026. PM2.5 means and exceedance days by region, 2024–2025.

Media · verify with originaltcijthai.comUsed in chapter03Link working · checked 17 Oct 2026

[6]

Nan Provincial Public Health Office. May 2024. Provincial meeting brief (HDC data).

Officialwwwnno.moph.go.thUsed in chapter03 04Link working · checked 17 Oct 2026

[7]

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, Mahasarakham University (2022); Naresuan University Journal: Science and Technology — household value of forest products.

Researchso03.tci-thaijo.orgUsed in chapter04Link working · checked 17 Oct 2026

[8]

CGIAR Humidtropics. 2015. Situational Analysis: Nan Province, Thailand (citing the Nan Provincial Agriculture Office).

Researchhumidtropics.cgiar.orgUsed in chapter04Link working · checked 17 Oct 2026

[9]

Thai PBS Decode, 12 Mar 2025, wildfire central fund; InfoQuest; The Standard (LAO grants).

Media · verify with originalthaipbs.or.thUsed in chapter05Link working · checked 17 Oct 2026

[10]

Chankrajang, T. 2019. State-community property-rights sharing in forests and its contributions to environmental outcomes. Journal of Development Economics 138.

Researchhazeportal.asean.orgUsed in chapter02 06Link working · checked 17 Oct 2026

[11]

Agarwal, S. et al. 2022. Journal of Land Use Science 17(1) — community forests and forest persistence in Nan, 2000–2019.

Researchresearch.dial.uclouvain.beUsed in chapter02 06Link working · checked 17 Oct 2026

[12]

Burapha Science Journal. Monthly share of hotspots in Nan, 2018–2024.

Researchli05.tci-thaijo.orgUsed in chapter02Link working · checked 17 Oct 2026