Recently, a tense Ramadan Magoligo came to National Forestry Authority (NFA) seeking guidance on how to salvage his ailing 23-hecatare pine plantation in Masindi District. He is belongs to a bulging legion of Ugandans investing in tree planting with an eye on the huge returns from forestry produce.
Apparently, his 10-year plantation had started stagnating after initially seeming healthy. With plantation establishment costs of up to Ushs 1,600,000= per hectare and various maintenance obligations, Mr. Magoligo faces a massive loss.
An interview with him and a field prognosis established that he didn’t observe the basic plantation tenets. The retrospective ‘prescription’ he has attained from NFA is serving to mitigate damage rather than rescue his plantation.
Investing in trees pays handsomely but calls for developing and implementing a sound plantation management plans. Such plans require of tree farmers to observe benchmarks recommended for establishing and maintaining healthy plantations.
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- Initially, farmers should be clear on the products they seek to extract from an intended plantation. It could be firewood, construction or transmission poles, timber or raw material for paper to determine the tree species to be planted. In Uganda, many tree farmers are planting pine for timber. The three sub-species include pine – caribaea, orcapa, and patula. Other timber species include Araucaria, Terminalia, Cypress, Teak, Musizi and Mvule.With Uganda still importing power transmission poles, shrewd farmers are investing in Eucalyptus (harvestable at 8 years) for this purpose. Eucalyptus is a multi-functional species also harvestable for timber at 20+ years.
- It is important to procure quality tree seeds/seedlings from a credible source. The government’s National Tree Seed Centre in Namanve near Kampala and its affiliated nurseries in Mbarara, Gulu, Arua, Jinja, Nakasongola and Masindi is the main source of quality seeds/seedlings in Uganda. Our friend Mr. Magoligo purchased a large volume of seedlings for his plantation from a suspect street-side ‘dealer’ who is currently not traceable!
- Due to weather and soil variations, some trees flourish in specific regions and particular sites. The species planted should therefore be matched with the conditions at the intended planting location. For instance, pine-patula flourishes in cold (humid) high altitudes, while drought-resistant pine-caribea and pine-orcapa excel in both highlands and low-lands. In the case of Mr. Magoligo, NFA established that he planted pine-patula in a wrong area i.e. ‘dry’ and lowland Masindi District!
- Spacing trees as planting is undertaken is also vital because requirements for soil nutrients, moisture and light vary depending on the species. Ideal tree spacing therefore ensures that the trees attain sufficient moisture, nutrients and light to for purposes of normal growth. Trees with longer ‘gestation’ period should also be accorded more space since they will demand more water and nutrients with time. For this reason, Eucalyptus can be spaced at 2.7×2.7 meters and 3.0×3.0 meters if planted for transmission poles and timber respectively. Spacing for other trees also varies depending on species and purpose.
- There are maintenance interventions like weeding, pruning and thinning which are undertaken at recommended intervals (depending on species) until the tree canopy closes. This coupled with removing diseased trees, proper pruning and keeping fires at bay guarantee healthy trees and quality products like poles, timber and fuel-wood.
There are many tree farmers not seeking technical support for plantation establishment and maintenance. While it costs a little more, it is often the vital ingredient that differentiates between healthy and failed plantations. Like Mr. Magoligo now knows, such technical support is best when pro-active rather than reactive.
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