RECOFTC, in partnership with Nan Community College and the Hug Muang Nan Foundation, successfully conducted an inception workshop for FLOURISH on 18-19 October, 2018 in Nan, Thailand. Approximately 30 participants from local governments, Non-government organizations (NGOs), and community organizations identified the forest landscape, exchanged lessons and experiences from ongoing projects and initiatives in the province, and decided the next steps for project implementation going forward.

All the participants of the workshop agreed, as one of Thailand’s most important watersheds and production areas for timber (particularly teak), Nan province is a vital site for achieving forest restoration, forest productivity and improved livelihoods. Situated in the Northern part of Thailand and nestled against its neighbor, Lao PDR, Nan has 37 small and medium scale wood processing facilities that produce a total harvest volume of 20,000 cubic meter/year. The presence of the Forest Industry Organization, which is a state owned enterprise, also provides ample opportunity to bring forth multiple stakeholders in the area.