The Kenya Forest Service (KFS) has announced plans to rehabilitate 400 acres of Gathioro Forest, which was devastated by wildfires earlier this year.
Nyeri County Forest Conservator Esther Mugo stated that KFS aims to restore the affected areas by planting indigenous trees as part of ongoing efforts to increase forest cover within the Mount Kenya forest circuit.
She urged residents to refrain from lighting controlled fires on their farms, citing the practice as a major cause of wildfires in forested areas during the dry season.
Parts of Gathioro Forest Station within the Mount Kenya region were burned, affecting approximately 400 acres, the equivalent of 160 hectares.
Fortunately, the fire mainly consumed grass and shrubs, leaving trees untouched. KFS plans to reforest the area with indigenous trees, and with the ongoing rains, full recovery under tree cover is expected.
Another fire incident in the Aberdare moorlands burned approximately 200 acres.
However, since the area is primarily grassland, no trees were affected and natural regeneration is expected once the rain sets in.
KFS has partnered with key stakeholders, including Community Forest Associations, National Government Administration Officers, and non-governmental organizations to support rehabilitation efforts.
These collaborations will help restore degraded forest areas during the ongoing long rains.
Additionally, KFS has engaged the Nyeri County government in developing and managing forest resources on both community and private lands as part of a broader environmental conservation initiative.
These efforts align with the national goal of increasing Kenya’s forest cover to 30 per cent by 2032 by planting 15 billion seedlings.
Nyeri currently has a forest cover of 40.17 per cent and a tree cover of 45.89 per cent, according to the National Forest Resources Assessment Report 2021, with Mount Kenya and the Aberdare Ranges serving as vital water catchment areas.
The county currently has over three million plantable seedlings, both indigenous and exotic, which are set to be planted before the end of the rainy season.
More than 500 hectares within state forests will be regenerated for both industrial plantation and rehabilitation purposes.
KFS is encouraging tree planting on farmlands and degraded areas to help combat desertification and improve livelihoods.
Nyeri County is one of six conservation areas in the Central Highlands Regional Conservation Zone, with a total gazetted forest area of 115,435.14 hectares.
Mount Kenya and the Aberdare Ranges form the county’s two major ecosystems, with Mount Kenya’s seven forest stations covering 64,470.92 hectares, including Nanyuki, Gathiuru, Naromoru, Kabaru, Hombe, Ragati and Chehe.
The Aberdare ecosystem has five forest stations covering 50,964.22 hectares, including Muringato, Kabaru, Hombe, Zaina, Kiandongoro and Zuti.
With intensified conservation efforts and strategic partnerships, KFS remains committed to restoring and protecting Nyeri’s critical forest ecosystems.
By KNA NEWS
