NFA condemns planting eucalyptus, pine in forest reserves

The National Forest Authority (NFA) is worried about the rampant replacement of natural forests with eucalyptus and pine trees in several parts of the country.

 Mr Okello says some people who acquired permits from NFA to plant trees in forest reserves abused the offer by planting eucalyptus and pine because they can be harvested after a short period.

He says the practice violates natural forests protection guidelines because it is not environment-friendly.

 Mr Okello instructed NFA forest rangers to ensure that the provisions of the licenses are strictly followed.

Uganda's forest cover, according to NFA has tremendously decreased from 24 percent (4,933,271 hectares) of forest land area in the 1990, to less than nine percent (1,956,664 hectares) in 2018. 

However, Mr Okello has indicated that they recently launched a nationwide tree planting campaign, with the intention of planting 10 million trees in order to restore the country's lost forest cover. 

According to Mr Okello, the authority has instructed all staff members at regional level to restock all their tree nursery beds with indigenous seedlings, to enable them realise the dream by 2020. Members of the public, Mr Okello said, should embrace the campaign by planting indegenous trees.

Mr Okello says the intervention is in line with the Sustainable Development Goal number 13, which demands urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. 

Last year, Lwengo District executive and the security committee banned the planting of eucalyptus trees in wetlands. 

The district Forest Department together with police have been cutting eucalyptus forests planted in wetlands.