NFA to produce 60 million free tree seedling

Oct 02, 2017

The agency’s executive director, Michael Mugisa, said the Government has increased their budget by sh4b this financial year.

PIC: NFA boss Michael Mugisa planting a tree at the launch of the urban tree planting campiagn at the Military Police Headquarters in Kampala. (Credit: by Jeff Andrew Lule)

TREE PLANTING | NFA


The National Forest Authority (NFA) is set to distributed 60 million free seedlings for community tree planting.

The agency's executive director, Michael Mugisa, said the Government has increased their budget by sh4b this financial year, in addition to sh2b for tree planting.

The funds will be used to generate tree seedlings for communities and others for commercial sales.

Mugisa told the New Vision in an interview yesterday that they target to produce 60 million free community tree seedlings annually and increase commercial seedlings to 40 million.

Community tree planting is a strategy by the government aimed at promoting tree planting to increase tree coverage countrywide.

"We also intend to plant more trees in the degraded forests. We need more trees to conserve the environment. Most of the trees are water catchment areas for Lake Victoria and others. They also help in the formation of rain fall," he said.

PIC: The Commandant OF Military Police, Brig. Sabiiti Muzeyi, planting a tree at the launch of urban tree planting campaign at Miitary Police Headquarters in Kampala



Last week Mugisa launched the urban tree planting campaign at the Military Police Headquarters in Makidye division, Kampala. He said there was need to increase tree coverage in all towns and cities to improve the land scape, beautifying the city and creating more shed.

The forests also help in absorption of bad fumes produced by factories and cars, and dust, which are dangerous to people's health.

Apart from increasing tree coverage and restoring the degraded natural Central Forest Reserves (CFRs), Mugisa noted that they also want to re-survey and open boundaries of CFRs and wetlands in various reserves.

He said they also want trees planted all around government institutions countrywide under the urban tree planting campaign.

NFA is mandated to manage 506 Central Forest Reserves with a total area of 1,265, 742 hectares and management of various protected areas. Uganda has been losing about 90,000 hectares of forests every year.

 

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