The objective of this investigation was to examine the forest conservation practices of the Karen and the relationship between various factors and the conservation practices as well as problems and future needs of the ethnic group in relation to forest conservation and agriculture. The population was 88 household heads in Huay Pu Ling Village, Om Koi District. It was found that most household heads understood Thai and were males with an average age of 40.22 years. The average annual income was 12, 446. 59 baht. The average number of family members was 4.08 and the average number of farming laborers was 2.69 per household. They received information about forest conservation 4.75 times per year on average. Average land ownership was 5.87 rai per household. They had contacts with forest conservation officers 5.47 times per year and with outside communities 5.31 times per year on average. They were trained on forest conservation on an average of 1.67 times per year. The forest conservation practices at a medium level included forest protection, reforestation and public relations on forest conservation, whereas forest fire prevention was at a high level. The ethnic group was knowledgeable about soil erosion prevention, soil fertilization and watershed conservation. It was hypothesized that gender, number of household members, number of farmhands, size of land ownership, contact with the outside world, and training were related to forest conservation practices. Some of the forest conservation problems included illegal logging by outsiders, failed reforestation, and shortages of forest fire extinguishing tools. The villagers wanted officers to work more seriously, changing from legal defensive measures to public relations-oriented proactive measures. There should be more training on forest conservation and the availability of tree seedlings for reforestation should be in line with the actual needs of the villagers.
    
Regarding the concept on forest conservation, the Karen classify forest into three types according to geographical height: dry deciduous forest at the foot of the mountain, deciduous forest at the intermediate height in altitude, and the watershed forest. Additionally, forests can be classified according to aspects of use. They include communal forest, forest where rituals are conducted and where trees are forbidden to be felled as it is believed to be an abode for the ancestors’ spirits, forest where food and medicinal herbs are collected, forest where water supplies paddy fields, and forest which is the origin of important streams. These forests are under the control of the community. They are not allowed for personal exploitation, but wild product collection and hunting are allowed (pp. 12-13). This investigation summarized two patterns of forest conservation practices. Firstly, communities involved in lowland paddy cultivation put significance on the conservation of watershed forests but not on forest firebreaks. Secondly, communities involved in highland paddy cultivation put significance on both forest firebreaks and conservation of watershed forests (pp. 15-17).