The Kenya Forest Service (KFS) is partnering with the State Department of Energy and Community Forest Associations (CFAs) in a major reforestation exercise around the Mount Kenya and Aberdare Forest circuit.
Nyeri County Forest Conservator Esther Mugo says they are replenishing the degraded areas with both indigenous and fast maturing exotic trees as part of KFS efforts of increasing forest cover around the expansive forest circuit.
Ms Mugo says through the partnership, KFS has managed to distribute close to 1 million tree seedlings within the county with more than 800,000 seedlings having been planted in Kieni East and Kieni West areas.
She says they are calling upon members of the public to incorporate both exotic trees and fruit bearing trees in their farms during the ongoing heavy rains.
The efforts are part of the Government goal of increasing the country’s forest cover to 30 per cent by 2032 by planting 15 billion seedlings.
“We have about 320 hectares that we are establishing under a plantation. We also have an area under rehabilitation for degraded forest areas which is totaling to about 100 hectares. We are also partnering with the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum where we have planted a total of 840,000 seedlings in Kieni West and Kieni East. These areas have vast parcels of land where the farmers can establish woodlots and carry out other agroforestry practices,” she has told KNA.
In addition, KFS has also roped in the Nyeri County government in managing forest resources registered as community and private lands as part of Government’s environmental conservation efforts.
“When we talk of rehabilitation of degraded forests, we do it with fast growing exotic tree species like eucalyptus, cypress and pines. We are also encouraging farmers to include fruit trees that can be integrated with crops. The areas that are being established for commercial forests are the areas that have been harvested because of sustainability when harvesting is done planting must be done immediately. We are also working with the County Government to plant trees in private land and county forests like Karima and Tumu Tumu,” she said.
Early this year the Conservator disclosed that KFS intended to rehabilitate 400 acres of Gathiro Forest that had been devastated by wildfires in January.
Mugo said their projection was to replenish the affected areas with indigenous trees as part of KFS efforts of increasing forest cover around the Mount Kenya forest circuit.
The officer cautioned the public to desist from the practice of igniting controlled fires in their farms saying the practice was to blame for the frequent fires often reported in forested areas during the dry season.
“Parts of Gathioro forest station that got burnt within the Mount Kenya region and around 400 acres got burnt which translates to about 160 hectares. This area was covered with grass and some shrubs and no trees were touched. In this area we expect to plant indigenous trees and expect that in the ongoing rains the whole area will be under tree cover. Within Aberdare we also had a fire where an area of around 200 acres was burnt. This area was within the moorland so no trees were touched there. Within the moorland we don’t do any planting because it is only grass that is there which we expect to regenerate once it rains,” she told KNA.
Forest cover and tree cover in Nyeri stand at 40.17 per cent and 45.89 per cent according to the National Forest Resources Assessment Report of 2021respectively with Mount Kenya and Aberdare forming the main water towers in the county.
“Nyeri county has over 3,000,000 plantable seedlings both indigenous and exotic which are expected to be planted out by the end of the rainy season. Over 500 ha will be expected to be planted in state forests both for industrial forest plantation and rehabilitation purposes. Tree growing and management in farmlands and degraded areas should be emphasized to contribute to achievement of the targets as well as assist in controlling desertification and improvement of livelihoods,” she added.
Nyeri is one of the six County Conservation areas found within the Central Highlands Regional Conservation area.
The total gazetted forest area in the County stands at 115,435.14 ha with Mount Kenya and the Aberdare Ranges forming the two major forest ecosystems.
Mount Kenya forest ecosystem has seven forest stations that cover a total of 64,470.92 ha.
They include Nanyuki, Gathiuru, Naromoru, Kabaru, Hombe ,Ragati and Chehe.
The Aberdare ecosystem has five forest stations covering an area of 50,964.22 which include Muringato, Kabaru ,Hombe , Zaina, Kiandongoro and Zuti.
By Samuel Maina
