3.1 — 2007–2024
Bambusetum Baan Sammi 2007–2020
In 2003 and 2004, when two vacant plots of land were acquired in Doi Saket District of Chiang Mai Province, northern Thailand, I decided to establish a bambusetum: a place with a documented collection of living bamboo plants of various species for scientific research, display, and educational purposes. The prime purpose of acquiring this land was to build some houses for a house rental enterprise. Bamboo should be combined with other wild and cultivated trees and herbaceous plants on this property in the most natural way possible to create a comfortable atmosphere in a lovely environment for the people who will live there. The bambusetum was planned from the beginning as an integral part of this concept.
The enterprise on this property was called Baan Sammi Nature Retreat. Hence, the bambusetum was referred to as Bambusetum Baan Sammi and สวนไผ่บ้านแซมมี in Thai. The size of the Baan Sammi property was quite restrictive for a bambusetum, at just a little over four rai (nearly 7,000 square meters, or 1.7 acres).
Some bamboo species were already present before 2003 and were integrated into the planned bambusetum. However, it took three long years to collect more bamboo species from Thailand and build and design the bambusetum. In May 2007, Bambusetum Baan Sammi was finally officially founded. It was opened to the general public in 2009, but only for small groups of people, and only by appointment. Most bamboo species were received between 2009 and 2015, totaling over 300 species. Some 200 species were planted on the grounds of Baan Sammi, whereas the others were kept in containers. It was clear from the beginning that not all plants could be kept permanently on the site when they grew to bigger and taller sizes over time. The size of the Baan Sammi property was simply too small to cultivate that huge number of bamboo plants. A solution to this limitation was worked out when an early collaboration was established with Mr. Thammarat Boonthammee of Boonthammee Bamboo Garden (Hang Dong District). Many potted bamboo specimens and some bamboo specimens planted on the property have been transferred to Boonthammee Bamboo Garden from about 2018 onward. Both locations in Doi Saket and Hang Dong districts are not too far from the city of Chiang Mai, and people had the opportunity to visit both sites to view bamboo.
During the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020, accompanied by a nationwide long drought during 2019–2020, it became apparent that the groundwater capacity in the area where Baan Sammi is located was insufficient, and months before the end of the drought season in May 2020, irrigation of the bambusetum had to be reduced to a minimum. The pandemic had some negative impacts on the maintenance of the bambusetum because the gardeners refused to continue to work for fear of infection, which was thought by local people to be potentially caused by foreigners who stayed at the residential houses (the houses are part of the Baan Sammi property). However, the lack of groundwater had severe effects. The dry season 2019–2020 has turned out to be more extreme and took longer than in previous years. Although Baan Sammi has an over 100-meter-deep bore for pumping up the groundwater and there has never been an insufficient water supply for irrigation, the deep bore that owns the village and provides tap water to all houses in the two neighboring villages could not supply water sufficiently. The mayor claimed that insufficiency is because others, like Baan Sammi and rice farmers, suck out too much groundwater with their equipment, and he banned their usage. From early April 2020 onward, using groundwater for plant irrigation had to be stopped at Baan Sammi. As a result, the inception of triage, not only for bamboo but also for other plants, was inevitable. This was the starting date for the decision to terminate Bambusetum Baan Sammi, at least a bambusetum in its previous settings.
As a result and regrettably, on 15 April 2020, I had to announce that the Bambusetum Baan Sammi would be ceasing operations. There was no end date set. I assumed that from December 2020 on, the beginning of the next dry season, sufficient irrigation would no longer be possible for the operation of the Bambusetum Baan Sammi throughout the entire dry period (December – April), which would harm the stock of bamboo plants. Therefore, operations would decline at the end of 2020 and were expected to cease in the first half of 2021. Contrary to expectations, the Bambusetum has continued until at least 2024, albeit at a rather low level.
In 2021, I was pleased to announce an agreement to rescue the less common bamboo species cultivated on the grounds of the Bambusetum Baan Sammi by transplanting them to the Kamphaeng Saen Campus of Kasetsart University, Nakhon Pathom Province. This bamboo plant transfer could be made possible with the support of Prof. Dr. Sarawood Sungkaew (ผศ.ดร. สราวุธ สังข์แก้ว) of the Faculty of Forestry, Kasetsart University, Bangkok. I am very thankful to Prof. Sungkaew, and I also wish to thank Mr. Thammarat Boonthammee, who agreed to execute and care for the intended plant transfer from Baan Sammi, Chiang Mai Province, to Nakhon Pathom Province.
Bambusetum Baan Sammi 2021–2022
Fortunately, the two dry seasons, 2020–2021 and 2021–2022, were not as extreme as the previous one, 2019–2020. Additionally, the 2022 rainy season saw extensive rainfall, causing significant flooding across much of Thailand. Luckily, Baan Sammi was unaffected by the flooding. These general weather conditions made it possible to carry out the planned transfer of bamboo species without any problems.
Mr. Thammarat Boonthammee was initially supposed to carry out the bamboo species transfer. Due to the Corona pandemic and other unexpected personal events, however, this was not feasible. A rescheduling, therefore, took place. Mr. Kittisak Jindawong (คุณ กิตติศักดิ์ จินดาวงค์), head of Bamboo Center, Royal Project Foundation, Mae Hia, Chiang Mai (ศูนย์ไผ่ มูลนิธิโครงการหลวง ต. แม่เหียะ อ. เมือง จ. เชียงใหม่) kindly took on the task of the bamboo transfer. On eleven days (16 May, 13, and 19 June, 3, 17, and 31 July, 1, 8, and 21 August 2021, 4 March, and 31 July 2022), Mr. Kittisak and his team divided up and excavated bamboo plants at Bambusetum Baan Sammi, and transferred all of them to his private bamboo nursery in Chiang Rai Province. There, the bamboo plants were first potted and temporarily kept under care until they sufficiently recovered. This transfer work has been completed, except for a few bamboo species, which were expected to be transferred from Baan Sammi to Mr. Kittisak's nursery in 2023 but were moved one year later. A total of 157 bamboo specimens were transferred between 2020 and 2022, and, with the additional duplicates (clones) required to reduce the risk of non-survival of the specimens, it was estimated to be 2 to 3 times that number.
Around 2021/2022, the Royal Project Foundation Bamboo Center in Mae Hia was closed, and the living bamboo plants were moved to the Royal Agricultural Station Pangda, Samoeng District, Chiang Mai Province (สถานีเกษตรหลวงปางดะ ต. สะเมิงใต้ อ. สะเมิง เชียงใหม่). A large bambusetum in Pangda was planned and almost finished in the first half of the year 2024. Therefore, it was advantageous to permanently transfer all the bamboo plants from Baan Sammi, which were temporarily kept in Mr. Kittisak's nursery, to add to the new Pangda Bambusetum. Most of the bamboo plants were already transferred to Pangda by Mr. Kittisak in 2022. The opening of the Pangda Bambusetum is planned for June 2024.
In the years following the opening of the Pangda Bambusetum, selected bamboo species will be propagated, which will take several years. When two to three clones of a species of suitable size and transportability are available, they will be brought from Pangda to the Kamphaeng Saen Campus of Kasetsart University in Nakhon Pathom Province and planted on the campus.
One might get the impression that Bambusetum Baan Sammi has been stripped of its bamboo, but that is not the case. After all, there were still 126 specimens (not counting duplicates) at the end of October 2022. These specimens include about 95 species (not counting varieties and cultivars) in 14 genera. It is highly questionable whether all this diversity can be preserved in the Bambusetum Baan Sammi in the coming years.
The Bambusetum Baan Sammi has been closed to the general public since March 2022. Up to date, visits are still possible (by appointment), and visitors are still offered cut bamboo poles and living bamboo plants, as well as a guided tour if requested. Everything is free of charge.
Bambusetum Baan Sammi 2023–2024
The 2022–2023 drought was not severe, and with plant irrigation, all bamboo specimens could be kept alive. The following 2023–2024 drought was not severe initially but extended into April and May without precipitation in the local area of Baan Sammi. Nevertheless, all bamboo plants were kept alive by intense irrigation, not causing a groundwater shortage.
Some additional bamboo species were removed from Bambusetum Baan Sammi, particularly those that required excessive upkeep and those with high water requirements due to their origin in the wet tropics. Nonetheless, at the end of March 2024, the bambusetum was still home to 82 bamboo species.
On 2 June 2024, Mr. Kittisak took out 12 additional species with duplicates from Baan Sammi and moved them instantly to Pangda Bambusetum.
Only a few people came for a guided tour of Bambusetum Baan Sammi. Also, there were apparently fewer people interested in receiving live bamboo plants or cut-off stems.