Form Your Learning Cohort

Begin by identifying approximately 10 community forest leaders and committee members who will participate in the training programme, deliberately including both experienced elders who hold traditional forest knowledge and younger community members who bring technological skills and will carry forest management forward. This intergenerational approach ensures knowledge transfer whilst leveraging youth capacity with digital tools. Connect with RECOFTC Thailand to register your community forest for the upskilling programme and complete the onboarding process. RECOFTC will verify that your forest has legal registration status (required for programme participation) and assess your current CFMP status—whether you're developing a plan for the first time, updating an existing plan, or seeking to improve a template-based plan with actual forest data. Conduct an initial baseline assessment of your community forest committee's current capacities in forest assessment, data management, and planning methodologies. This baseline helps both you and RECOFTC understand starting points and tailor the training to your specific context and needs.

Master Data Collection

Participate in the first intensive 2-day training delivered by RECOFTC covering Community Forest Management Plan concepts and principles, socio-economic data collection through focus group discussions that capture community forest dependence and benefit patterns, and scientific forest assessment methodologies including forest inventory techniques, biodiversity data collection protocols, tally sheet use, and digital analysis tools. This training is highly practical and hands-on—participants don't just learn theory but practice actual data collection methods in forest plots. RECOFTC provides all necessary tools including digital tally sheets on mobile devices, GPS equipment for plot coordinates, measuring instruments for tree height and diameter, and biodiversity identification guides. Between training sessions, your cohort receives a field assignment: conduct an actual forest assessment in your community forest using the methods learned, collecting data on forest structure (canopy cover, tree density, size-class distribution), large trees, saplings, and seedlings across designated sampling plots, bamboo and non-tree plant species diversity, and wildlife through transect surveys recording species, detection methods, and ecological importance. This learning-by-doing approach builds confidence and competence whilst generating real data that will inform your management plan.

Analyse and Plan

Return for the second intensive 2-day training focused on data analysis and CFMP formulation. RECOFTC facilitators teach participants how to input their field-collected data into digital analysis systems that automatically calculate forest health indicators, biodiversity metrics, regeneration capacity, and threat levels. Learn to interpret these results in context—what do the numbers actually mean for your forest's condition and future? How do they compare to baseline expectations or other community forests? The training covers policy frameworks related to CFMPs, basic facilitation skills for engaging broader community input beyond the core committee, and how to validate data quality and identify gaps or errors requiring additional field work. Most critically, participants learn to translate scientific data into practical management actions: if regeneration is poor in certain areas, what restoration activities are needed? If wildlife indicators show declining populations, what protection measures should be implemented? Draft your Community Forest Management Plan during this training using the official Extension Kor Chor 5-1 digital format, with RECOFTC facilitators providing direct coaching as you work. The plan must include all required components: community profile, forest information, natural resource utilisation patterns, forest and wildlife health assessments, identified threats and vulnerabilities, and a detailed activity plan with timelines and responsibilities.

Validate with Community

Between the second training and plan finalisation, conduct participatory validation sessions where the broader community reviews and refines the draft CFMP developed by the trained cohort. This is crucial: whilst the core team has technical capacity to collect and analyse data, the management plan must reflect collective community knowledge, priorities, and commitments. Hold community meetings where you present the forest assessment results visually—use maps, graphs, and photographs rather than raw numbers to make findings accessible. Discuss what the data reveals about forest health and how it aligns with or challenges community perceptions and traditional knowledge. Present proposed management activities and timelines, gathering input on feasibility, priorities, and any activities that should be added or modified based on local expertise. Ensure diverse community voices are heard—women and men, elders and youth, different livelihood groups who use forest resources in various ways. Incorporate feedback into the CFMP, revising sections as needed whilst maintaining the scientific integrity of forest assessment data. This validation process builds community ownership of the plan and ensures it will actually guide forest management rather than sitting unused on a shelf.

Implement and Monitor

Finalise your Community Forest Management Plan and submit it to RECOFTC, which uploads the data into the CF-NET Index system and analyses results across the nine indicators measuring environmental, social and economic, and governance dimensions of forest management. RECOFTC organises a results meeting where they present your CF-NET Index scores, collect feedback and additional inputs, and obtain consent for publication on thaicfnet.org where your forest joins a national network of community forests sharing data and learning. Use your CF-NET Index scores—which range from 0.00 (very low) to 3.00 (very high) across indicators like forest health, biodiversity, benefit sharing, and committee governance—as reference data for identifying improvement priorities and tracking progress over time. Begin implementing your CFMP's activity plan, using the digital tools you've mastered to monitor forest condition changes, track management interventions, and document outcomes. Participate in ongoing coaching support from RECOFTC as you encounter challenges or questions during implementation. Measure success through completion of planned activities, improvements in forest health and biodiversity indicators over monitoring periods, increased CF-NET Index scores at periodic reassessments, sustained use of digital data tools, and most importantly, strengthened community capacity to independently manage your forest based on scientific assessment rather than external dependence or guesswork.