KBC Channel 1

Tag: Forests

  • Gov’t says decision to resume logging is to avoid loss of revenue

    Gov’t says decision to resume logging is to avoid loss of revenue

    The Government has Tuesday defended the decision to resume logging operations noting that the move seeks to create job opportunities, spur economic growth in the rural areas, and improve the livelihoods of millions of individuals and communities that depend on forests.

    In addition, the State says that logging is strictly limited to gazetted plantation forest areas, ensuring the health and integrity of delicate natural forest ecosystems.

    According to a statement sent to newsrooms, the decision to lift the ban was informed by an inventory of forest plantations which was undertaken by a Multi–Agency Taskforce between the years 2020 to 2022.

    In the task force report, it was revealed that there was a total of 26,000 hectares of mature and over–mature forest plantation stocks.

    According to the report, if these materials were not removed, they would eventually die and rot with the attendant colossal loss in revenue, which would otherwise be used in the restoration of degraded public forest areas.

    The Multi–Agency Taskforce also oversaw the e-registration of saw millers, leading to the prequalification of applicants into various categories based on respective capacities.

    Forest–adjacent communities, as social fences and friends of forests, are fully incorporated into the plantation forest value chain including harvesting to ensure they draw significant benefits.

    While the license holders harvest the tree, they are only permitted to cart away the main log, while the community retains the tops and branches for domestic fuelwood or sale as firewood.

    Communities are also allowed to farm in areas where trees have been harvested as part of the Government’s Plantation Establishment and Livelihood Improvement Programme (PELIS).

    Besides, Kenya Forest Service (KFS) engages Community Forest Associations (CFAs) in seedling production, planting, weeding and silvicultural operations that include pruning and thinning of trees.

    Further, CFAs provide scouts to protect forests from encroachment and related illegal activities.

    KFS uses felling plans that define the ‘allowable cutting levels’. The principle of allowable cut dictates that the number of trees to be removed annually should be equal to the number of trees to be planted.

    Annually, Government authorises the harvesting of a maximum of 5,000 hectares. This is in compliance with the guidance from the Auditor General, as well as, established sustainable harvesting and replanting capacity of KFS.

    Through PELIS, forest-adjacent communities are permitted to engage in non-residential food production as they assist in the re-establishment of plantation trees.

    All payments to KFS including taxes are automated to ensure compliance with Government tax regulations.

    All payments are made before the license holders are permitted to harvest. The payments received by KFS are accounted for as Appropriation-in-Aid (A-in-A).

    Harvesting of licensed plantation forest acreage follows a detailed security plan on access, control, and supervision of felling, evacuation of logs and postharvest reporting.

    As part of the plan, an Entry Certificate is presented to the Forest Station Manager before the removal of harvested logs. The Forest Manager has the responsibility to ensure that license holders strictly adhere to the provisions of their licenses.

    Upon completion of the felling activity, the Forest Manager issues an Exit Certificate as evidence of compliance with the harvesting protocol. As part of the chain of custody, the Forest Manager marks each harvested log before it exits the forest.

    The mark is specific to the Station where the logs have been harvested. Execution of penalties in case of breach of established protocols are swift and punitive to all parties involved, including KFS officials.

    Public forest plantations supply 31.4 million cubic metres of timber annually, while the demand for timber in the country is 47 million cubic metres, leaving a deficit of 15.6 million cubic metres. Timber is widely used in construction, furniture making, and various other industries.

    By restoring plantation forest harvesting activities, the Government seeks to service the growing demand for timber in the country while ensuring sustainable forest management practices apply.

    Finally, the Government says that the plantation forests are buffer zones for natural forest landscapes and that revenue from the sale of logs in plantation forests is used to supplement the costs of protection, conservation, and management of natural forests.

  • We’re keen on fencing all gazetted forests, CS Tuya says

    We’re keen on fencing all gazetted forests, CS Tuya says

    Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya has announced Government plans to fence all gazetted forests across the country to safeguard them from encroachment and other destructive human activities. 

    She said the fencing would also help sustain the gains made through ecosystem restoration efforts such as the 15 billion national tree growing programme.

    “The first thing we’ve done as a Ministry is to map all forests across Kenya. We’re looking for partners to back up Government funding for fencing of all forests across the country,” CS Tuya announced.

    The Cabinet Secretary spoke on Wednesday in Marsabit during a meeting with community forest association on the first day of her two-day working visit of the County at the Marsabit Kenya Forest Service (KFS) office.

    At the same time, CS Tuya appealed to forest adjacent communities to participate more actively in conservation activities saying the Government won’t succeed in its ecosystem restoration efforts without their support.

    “I know we won’t succeed without collaboration and good relations with communities. We must collaborate. You are our eyes. You’re the owners of the environment,” CS Tuya said.

    She said the Government had mounted a major crackdown on logging and all forms of illegal forest activities starting in Mau forest complex before moving onto other forest ecosystems across the country.

    “People who imagine that our forests are available for encroachment should forget it. We have started an operation, starting in Mau, a place called Sururu and we will go to all forests,” CS Tuya said as she challenged KFS to enhance surveillance against illegal forest activities.

    “We can’t employ more rangers and then have more illegalities. The reason we are employing more rangers is to enhance enforcement. We have to phase out all illegal forest activities.

    “We can’t be pushing for the growing of 15 billion trees while at the same time losing more trees to illegal activities. We can’t be engaged in a zero sum game,” the CS cautioned.

    Once again, the Cabinet Secretary reminded Government agencies of their targets as set out in the 15 billion national tree growing programme saying her Ministry will follow up to ensure that the thresholds are met.

    CS Tuya also spoke about propagation of adequate seedlings to support the 15 billion national tree growing programme saying her Ministry was working with Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI) to produce enough seeds to support the initiative.

    Alongside production of adequate tree seeds, CS Tuya said KEFRI had been tasked to undertake ecological species matching to ensure that Kenyans grow trees best suited for their ecological zones.

    “We’re working with KEFRI, which is a scientific institution in my Ministry, to undertake species matching so that, if it is Marsabit, we know the right species for this area,” the CS said, adding that 30 percent of all seeds produced will be fruit and nut species to support agroforestry.

    To accelerate the tree growing initiative, CS Tuya said her Ministry through KFS was in the process of recruiting youth to participate in the 15 billion national tree initiative through a programme dubbed ‘green army’.

    “Green army are youth who will assist the Government in propagation of seedlings and growing of trees,” CS Tuya said as she promised transparency in the ongoing national recruitment exercise saying priority will be given to locals.

    On wetlands conservation, the CS said the Government was keen on mapping and fencing wetlands across the country so as to use their water for all-year tree growing activities.

    Other speakers at the meeting were NEMA DG Mamo Mamo and Marsabit County MP Naomi Waqo who decried the increasing encroachment of Marsabit Forest and called for concerted efforts to conserve the county’s forests.

    Alongside forest conservation, Waqo, who is accompanying the CS on the 2-day visit, called for enhanced security patrols around Marsabit Forest saying the forest had become a den for armed bandits who maim and kill locals.

    Forests CS Tuya

    CS Tuya, who is accompanied by several senior Government officials among them NEMA Board Chairman Emilio Mugo, will visit several wetland conservation projects in North Horr sub-county and address a public baraza in the area.