The establishment of a model tree nursery in Meru Forest Station, Meru County, is set to 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 2 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 one is producing 1.2 million seedlings in the same period.
“The model nursery has various advantages, including better utilisation of water, good quality of seedlings, less labour usage and raised seedbeds, which enhance elimination of diseases due to their hygiene,” said Mr. Ndaka.
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 target considering the number of seedlings from the model nursery.
He added, “We have more than 2 million trees ready for planting from the model nursery in addition to others from nine nurseries supported by the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) in our forest stations all over the county, and also some others by community forest associations, timber manufacturers associations, and private sector partners like the 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 at the moment.
“Our main duty at the moment is restoring and equipping tree forest cover and tree growth in and out of the gazetted forests where we grow indigenous and commercial plantation trees occupying 90,000 and 9,000 hectares, respectively,” said Mr. Ndaka.
Assistant Chief Forest Conservator Mr. Protus Masaba added that model nurseries begin on 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 minimise the effects of dumping off diseases.
“When the nursery doesn’t have proper drainage, then the seeds are destroyed by the fungi,” said Mr. Masaba.
Through this type of seedbed, he added, we are able to achieve a high germination percentage compared to the one achieved from normal nurseries.
“There is also a huge impact in lessening the time required to achieve germination, where normal indigenous seeds take 30 days, but with the layered ones, it takes between 18 to 20 days, meaning we have a shorter period for production,” said Mr. Masaba.
The shading net, he added, is meant to moderate the heat condition of the seedlings, moderating growth conditions in the sense that it allows 50 per cent of sunlight and 50 per cent of shade, ensuring that seedlings are not exposed to unnecessary evaporation, which limits their growth.
“The raised beds help us to cut costs on root pruning because at this level we achieve air root pruning, helping us to have a balanced growth of the seedlings,” said Mr. Masaba, adding that shade nets also help to fasten establishment at the time of pricking because without them, they are exposed to sunlight, contributing to issues of mortality.
Another component of the model tree nursery, he added, is the raised beds supported with an overhead watering system, which is somehow an automated watering system for at least three minutes.
This, he added, means that a stock capacity of at least 78,000 can be operated by a single person for only two hours, bringing in the effect of minimal labour required.
He acknowledged support from the government in terms of facilitating water to the nursery through drilling a borehole, supporting seedling production in the nursery, and the needs of the staff within the forest station.
By Dickson Mwiti
