By Antynet Ford

Wood farmer Maxwell Chepkwony is abandoning water-guzzling blue gum trees after two decades of growing forestry on his 10 acres in Kirenget, Nakuru County, after neighbours complained and he got new extension support from Kenya Forest Service that is seeing him earn more from other trees.

“My neighbours have been complaining and I also have personally decided that I remove from my farm because one, the price is low. The returns from blue gum have been low compared to the other species like Pine and Cypress. Number two, they use a lot of water and this makes the moisture content in the farm too deep, plus I also want to use the farm for other things even as I switch to planting Pine and Cypress trees,” he said.

It wasn’t until 2024 that Maxwell registered his private forest with the Kenya Forest Service, but the registration has quickly changed and improved his earnings.

“Officers from KFS advised that when planting blue gum, it should be 10 metres away from the road and 15 metres away from the neighbour. Blue gum has very deep roots and you can say that the complaint from the neighbours are valid as you’ll find it sucks all the nutrients around, hence you can’t grow anything near it,” he said.

“The land is mine and I knew I could do whatever I wanted with it. But, in 2024, I decided to care for my trees and that is why I registered as a wood grower with KFS as I wanted to improve my income by learning how to be a better wood grower and learn what is required by me for the trees. I learnt from a friend about registering as a wood farmer with KFS. I visited the Kenya Forest Service E-registration system and uploaded my ID, KRA PIN and land ownership document. There was no payment done, as it is free.”

“Three months after I registered with KFS, officers came for a site visit. Currently, they come annually to train me on pruning, lining and giving value to my trees before I sell,” he said.

“I sell to saw millers and merchants who sell timber in their yards in Nairobi. For them to travel with the products from Kirenget to Nairobi, they need a certificate of origin and a permit as they are moving from one county to another. The certificate and the permit are obtained at the KFS county offices as their services are devolved. For the certificate of origin, I take my land documents to the local Chief, who writes a letter to be taken to KFS confirming that I have the forest and the harvest is underway. The Chief also confirms the size of the land and the number of trees being harvested. The merchant or sawmiller then takes the letter to KFS and they are then handed the certificate,” he said.

“When the sale is within Nakuru County, they do not need a permit to transport the timber, but when they are going to Nairobi, they do to move inbetween the counties. The process is smooth and it takes a few hours immediately after the harvest has begun,” he said.

Maxwell ventured into tree farming in the early two thousands while working with an organisation that conserved the environment through tree planting, but his interest grew as he realised it was a high earner. Nowadays, he also ensures that KFS officers come and do a valuation of the trees before he considers a quotation from three other saw millers and settles on the one that will give the best price.

“The market is always there and buyers or saw millers will always approach to buy the trees. So when the saw millers approach and bid, of course I take the highest bidder after first getting the valuation from KFS. I practice clear harvest and the prices do vary. A single mature pine tree goes for Sh5000 (at roughly 12 years old), cypress goes for Sh3000 and blue gum sells at the lowest at Sh2500 per tree,” he said.

After each annual sale, he replants the same trees again to take care of the environment following the deforestation that comes with the harvest. Being registered with KFS has also enabled him get free seedlings from the government parastatal, and which some NGOs that support tree planting also offer. He plants his trees 3 metres apart.

“After harvesting I debark the remaining part of the tree. This is just removing the bark all the down. Debarking makes the tree dry down to the roots. I then replant new trees between the harvested ones. Some farmers uses chemicals to fasten the drying process but I think it is best to do it naturally so as to care for the soil for the chemicals get rid of nitrogen needed in the soil.”