Mr. Emilio Mugo, Director of Kenya Forest Service speaking at a public function. [Photo|Business Daily]
The Kenya Forest Service (KFS) is calling on communities bordering forests in the Mau complex to exercise caution in use of fire in a bid to curb forest fires during this dry spell.
KFS Director Emilio Mugo says the service and the Kenya Meteorological Service have already sounded an alarm to County Governments to help notify citizens living around forests about prudent use of fire in their domestic activities to avoid household fires leaking into forests and damaging forest cover and wildlife.
Speaking after a daylong aerial tour of the Eastern and South-Western Mau Complex, Ugo said the areas which had largely been damaged by fire in the last dry spell are still regenerating adding that fires have negated the country`s quest for the 10 percent forest cover.
“The country is on track to obtaining the 10 percent forest cover goal with the current national rating standing at 7.2 percent cover owed to the country`s 2.5 million hectares under forest,” said the director.
He said the service is working with partners to elevate the national forest cover to 8.5 percent by the year 2020.
Emilio said the joint public awareness drive against forest fire seeks to protect 140 million hectares of the commercial plantation of exotic trees planted over the last three years to meet the country`s timber demands.
“The bid to protect the vulnerable commercial plantations seeks to bolster the timber value chain that is steered by 700 licensed saw millers, 600 other timber merchants and providing gainful job openings for over 350,000 people,” Mugo said.
On his part board chairman Peter Kinyua called on people living around river ecosystems in the larger Mau complex to refrain from farming activities that may damage the sensitive areas which provide a lifeline to the Mau forest which is the country`s main water tower.