The Government will soon lift the partial commercial logging ban placed 20 years ago to pave way for profitable management of forest through timber harvesting, Forestry and Wildlife minister Noah Wekesa has said.
In a speech read on his behalf by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry Mohamed Wamwachai during graduation ceremony at Londiani Forestry College on Friday, Dr. Wekesa said the lifting had been discussed by the cabinet and multiple stakeholders and would soon be put to effect.
He noted that, though well intended the ban had been an invisible driver of illegal logging by placing the value on timber very highly resulting in attractive returns for the illegally obtained forests products especially timber.
Due to the partial ban, 95,000 acres of over-mature forest industrial plantation valued at over KSh 36 billion are undergoing value deterioration due to heart rot and windfalls.
At the same time, there are approximately 45,000 acres of forest plantations between ages 10 - 22 due for commercial thinning with potential to generate KSh. 3.5 billion.
He said through the Kenya Forestry Service the ministry had generated plantations logging plans and would soon complete an inventory that would establish the extent of forest plantations in Kenya.
He said his Ministry through the Kenya Forest Service has generated plantation logging plans, and is soon going to complete an inventory that will establish with precision the extent of forest plantations in Kenya.
Currently the forest plantation estate is 312,500 acres that comprises 6% of the gazetted forests.
Shortage of timber in the market has led to over-cutting of private forests and wood-lots, trees that are meant for soil and water conservation on farm lands.
Dr. Wekesa added that when the ban is lifted, allocation of harvesting areas would be through the provisions of the public procurement Act and Disposal Act 2005 and thus will provide competitive bidding while at the same time establishing a reserve price.
He said the bidding process would be transparent, open and profitable to the neighboring communities and business enterprises adding that the KFS would also gain additional revenue to implement its mandate through the recruitment of staff to facilitate the process.
He stated that the ministry would also improve forest infrastructure to enable surveillance adding that the funds obtained through plantation harvesting would also aid in boosting the forest planting backlog.
Wekesa noted that there was need of enhanced management and sustainable utilization of forests cover, supply of forest goods and services as well as promotion of forestry microenterprise.
This he said would be achieved through increased stakeholders' goodwill and rolling out initiative s to include communities that live next to forests in forest management.
Kenya Forest Service Board Chairman Professor Richard Musangi said that logging ban had hindered the KFS from realizing even greater returns of up to Ksh. 3 billion per annum.
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