Meru Forest tree nursery a game-changer in conservation

KNA by Dickson Mwiti

Meru County has established a model tree nursery in Meru Forest Station which will play a key role in reviving forests across the region.

Speaking to Kenya News Agency, the County Forest Conservator, Wellington Ndaka noted that with an annual target of growing 37 million trees in the county, the model tree nursery will help accelerate tree growing activities in the region.

He said Meru County boasts a tree cover of 29.68 per cent and a forest cover of 12 per cent, contributing significantly to environmental conservation and sustainable development, and with the model nursery having 1.2 million tree seedlings per year, the county has the capacity to surpass its target of 30 per cent tree cover by 2032.

Mr Ndaka added that the model nursery was established with the support of Green Zone Phase II in partnership with the African Development Bank to address the shortcomings of the normal nurseries which could not meet the demand of seedlings and the speed of production as well as quality.

“Formerly, the normal nursery was producing 35,000 seedlings per year, but the model is producing 1.2 million seedlings in the same period.

“The model nursery has various advantages over the normal one including better utilization of water, good quality of seedlings, less labour usage and raised seedbeds which enhances elimination of diseases due to their hygiene,” Mr Ndaka said.

“The model nursery, he added, is a game changer and so far, we have achieved at least 22 million tree seedlings grown both in and out of the gazetted forests.

“In the anticipated March-May rainy season, we want to fill the gap that has been there, and we are hoping to meet and surpass the 37 million targets considering the number of seedlings from the model nursery,” he said.

He added, “We have more than two million trees ready for planting from the model nursery in addition to others from nine nurseries supported by Kenya Forest Service (KFS) in our forest stations all over the county, and also some others by community forest associations, timber manufacturers associations, private sector, partners like national tree foundation, Mount Kenya, Eden, among others.”

He noted that there has been barely one per cent of forest destruction in the county but with the recruitment of more forest rangers by the government, they were working to ensure that this gets down to zero as there is no significant forest destruction.

“Our main duty at the moment is restoring and equipping tree forest cover and tree growing in and out of the gazetted forests where we grow indigenous and commercial plantation trees occupying 90,000 and 9,000 hectares respectively,” Mr Ndaka said.

Assistant Chief Forest Conservator Mr Protus Masaba added that model nurseries begin production in the seedbed where seeds are raised.

He said the model component of the nursery is the seedbed which is unique in the sense that there is a profile of materials meant to support drainage and water retention capacity.

“The four layers include huge rocks, gravel, sandy and forest soil and their purpose is to minimize the effects of dumping off diseases.

“When the nursery does not have proper drainage then the seeds are destroyed by the fungi,” said Mr Masaba.

Through this type of seedbed, he added, we can achieve a high germination percentage compared to the one achieved from normal nurseries.

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