During an awareness workshop on disposal of forest plantation materials, in Uasin Gishu County, within North Rift Conservancy conducted by KFS today, stakeholders called for the opening of forest plantation to allow for harvesting of mature and over mature forest resources.
The stakeholders noted that the trees are planted by the Kenya Forest Service, noting the Service should not be stopped from harvesting the same trees. Forest plantation establishment is entrenched in the Forest Conservation and Management Act 2016 that provides that all plantation forests in a public forest shall be managed on a sustainable basis for the production of wood and other forest productsa and services for commercial purposes
The Forest Industry Investors also lauded multiple forest plantation outcomes for transforming the lives of resource adjacent communities, improving their livelihoods and socioeconomic status. These benefits include improved livelihoods and food security, and benefits accrued from collecting firewood from the non-merchantable parts of harvested trees.
The stakeholders have also decried the effects of moratorium baring the harvesting of mature and over mature forest resources, saying that it is heartbreaking to see over-mature plantation trees rotting away, while others are felled by the wind, noting that this is wasted revenue, not only to the government but the citizens alike.
Public participation is a key tenet in undertaking disposal of forest plantation materials, within specific forest ecosystems. Before any disposal is undertaken in any forest plantations KFS is required by law to engage the public, this ensures sustainable and optimum benefits and utilization of these resources for the right purposes.
The meeting was chaired by the Secretary Administration State Department for Forestry- MECCF, Mr. Evans Mutari, and was hosted by KFS Regional Forest Conservator Mr. Anthony Musyoka,
Other stakeholders in attendance included, NEMA, KEFRI, Forest Station Managers, County Forest Conservators, Timber Manufacturers Association, CFAs and KFS headquarter staff.
