Tharaka nithi maintains good forest cover

Chuka, Friday, May 26, 2023

KNA by David Mutwiri/ Milliey Muthoni

Tharaka Nithi County has maintained a good forest cover compared to most of the other counties in the country.

The County Forest Conservator, Reuben Muigai has disclosed that forests in the region cover an area of approximately 559 km2 with almost 395 km2 of that being part of the Mt. Kenya Forest, while the rest is scattered all over the county.

Miugai said that maintaining this forest cover, within a county of 2609 km² is quite good compared to most of the other counties.

The conservator, who was speaking to KNA in his office in Chuka town Thursday, however disclosed that even with the good coverage, the county forest cover has its own share of challenges, with the biggest problem being lack of fencing along the forest borders.

“Although some parts of the borders have an electric fence protecting both the animals and the people, the areas without are making things worse for the forests because of illegal logging,” Muigai lamented.

He further revealed that since the electric fence does not cover all the forest borders, the areas without fencing have to be manned by the forest conservation and KWS personnel, who are few to begin with.

“With the rangers so few in number, they are not able to fully cover the borders in their entirety. This leaves gaps in which people can slip into the forest, exposing them to other challenges including charcoal burning and overgrazing,” he said.

“This in turn hinders the progress being made by tree planting efforts and the restoration and rehabilitation of threatened species,” The Forest Conservator further lamented.

He further revealed that with logging being the biggest concern, the most threatened species is the camphor tree, adding that the majestic evergreen tree is prized for its hardwood timber.

“Even though the tree can be replanted, it is a very ‘proud’ tree,” said Muigai, adding that it will grow very well in the nursery, but on transplanting to the forest, it dies. It prefers to naturally regenerate.

But despite the challenge, the conservator is glad that the Tharaka-Nithi forests have been protected in the past, and he strives to continue protecting them.

He revealed that for the 2022/2023 financial year, the Tharaka-Nithi forest service had set out to raise 50,000 seedlings, a goal that was accomplished.

He further explained that with the replanting efforts done in woodlots and agroforestry, a total of 98 hectares’ worth of tree cover was restored.

Muigai said this was encouraging, especially when compared to the problems of other forests in the country including the Mau forest.

Meanwhile, Tharaka-Nithi forest service is setting an example on how forests should be protected and conserved countrywide, aimed at achieving the 30% forest coverage as directed by the president.

 Courtesy ; K. N. A