Post: Kenya Forest Service to Rehabilitate 400 Acres of Gathioro Forest

Nyeri: The Kenya Forest Service (KFS) has announced its plan to rehabilitate 400 acres of the Gathioro forest, which suffered severe damage due to wildfires earlier this year. The initiative aims to restore the affected areas with indigenous trees as part of efforts to enhance forest cover in the Mount Kenya forest circuit.According to Kenya News Agency, Nyeri County Forest Conservator Esther Mugo emphasized the importance of this rehabilitation effort, urging the public to avoid igniting controlled fires on farms. Such practices have been linked to the frequent forest fires during dry seasons. Mugo detailed that the Gathioro forest station experienced significant damage, with about 160 hectares of grass and shrubs burned, though no trees were affected. The plan involves planting indigenous trees in the area, utilizing ongoing rains to ensure full tree cover.Mugo also noted that a separate fire in the Aberdare moorland burned around 200 acres, but spared trees, as the area primarily consists of grass expe cted to regenerate with rainfall. The KFS is collaborating with stakeholders, including Community Forests Associations, National Government Administration Officers, and non-governmental organizations, for rehabilitation activities during the current long rain season.Additionally, KFS has partnered with the Nyeri County government to develop and manage forest resources on community and private lands, contributing to the national goal of increasing forest cover to 30 percent by 2032 through the planting of 15 billion seedlings. Currently, Nyeri County's forest and tree cover stand at 40.17 percent and 45.89 percent, respectively, as per the National Forest Resources Assessment Report of 2021.Mugo highlighted that Nyeri County has over 3,000,000 plantable seedlings, both indigenous and exotic, expected to be planted by the end of the rainy season. The initiative aims to regenerate over 500 hectares in state forests for industrial plantation and rehabilitation, emphasizing tree growing and management on farml ands and degraded areas to combat desertification and improve livelihoods.Nyeri is one of six County Conservation areas within the Central Highlands Regional Conservation Area, boasting a total gazetted forest area of 115,435.14 hectares, with Mount Kenya and the Aberdare Ranges as the major forest ecosystems. The Mount Kenya ecosystem includes seven forest stations covering 64,470.92 hectares, while the Aberdare ecosystem comprises five forest stations spanning 50,964.22 hectares.