Trees/ KFSThe Kenya Forest Service has explained it's move to cut down some exotic tree species in Karura and Thogoto forests.
The Kenya Forest Service said they are currently harvesting exotic trees in an area of 6.3 hectares in Karura Forest.
The Service said that they are harvesting exotic tree species for fuel wood and fencing posts. This, they said, is in line with the felling plan for the 2024/2025 financial year.
"Following social media posts on purported illegal logging in Karura and Thogoto forests, KFS wishes to clarify," KFS said in a statement.
The Service said that replanting with indigenous trees will commence during the March to May long rain season.
According to KFS, the management plan for Karura Forest aims to convert the exotic plantations into natural forests for conservation purposes.
KFS said the management plan is a public document and can be accessed by whoever may wish to do so.
"Banners announcing the harvesting of these forest plantations have been placed at the entrance to Karura Forest and in other strategic points within the forest informing the public about the harvesting operations happening in Karura Forest—clear evidence of a transparent process," the statement on X reads.
KFS said the same process has been applied in Thogoto Forest, Kiambu County.
At Thogoto Forest, harvesting of mature and over-mature forest plantations on 109.50 hectares is in progress.
They said that once complete, depending on the age of the plantation, some plantations will be left to coppice and will be managed according to the forest technical order, while others will be replanted through the plantation establishment and livelihood improvement scheme (PELIS).
Thogoto Forest Station has a plantation management plan that guides establishment, silvicultural operations, and harvesting.
KFS said the management plan is a public document and can be accessed.
The Service said that Forest Plantations are deliberately established to provide timber for the domestic market, which is different from indigenous forests and conserved for ecological integrity.
KFS said that the harvesting of forest plantations is ongoing in various counties countrywide.
