Over 1,300 tree seedlings donated by the Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI) were planted at the Kathukini Secondary School, Machakos County recently.
KEFRI partnered with Machakos University lecturer, Dr. Lawrence Matolo, to undertake the exercise.
KEFRI Kitui Regional Research Centre official, Bernard Kimani Kigwa, who represented the Centre Director, Dr. Albert Luvanda at the event said that they had planted thousands of trees in several institutions in the country.
He asked the managements in the institutions to appreciate the gesture by conserving the trees.
Kigwa observed that a tree needs to be planted properly for it to survive.
“The size of the hole and the spacing matter during tree planting,” the KEFRI official said.
KEFRI is mandated to conduct dryland forestry research in dry areas in Kenya.
“We, the KEFRI Kitui Regional Research Centre, cover more than 13 counties in the country,” he said.
The counties include Marsabit, Wajir, Kitui, Machakos, Lamu, Kajiado, Garissa, Makueni, Tana River, Meru, Embu and Taita Taveta, among others.
“The Dalbergia melanoxylon is an important tree species which is endangered as a result of wood carving,” he noted.
He added that Terminalia brownie is the next victim targeted by woodcarvers.
“It has been heavily threatened by woodcarvers in the country,” the official said.
Kigwa also said that Melia volkensii is resistant to termites and thrives in the semi-arid areas with minimal rainfall.
“We as KEFRI are doing some research on it because we hear that it has some medicinal value,” the expert said.
On bamboo, he said there are lowland and highland bamboos.
The official advised farmers to use some pesticides to protect the trees from destruction by termites.
He also revealed some indigenous methods of controlling termites.
On his part, Dr. Matolo urged the people that, “We want you to be our ambassadors in conservation matters.”
Kathukini Secondary School Principal, Mrs. Susan Mwoni concluded by thanking the school’s Board of Management (BOM) chairman, Joseph Kioko, for coordinating the event.
“We will continue growing trees for the good of the environment,” she added.
The BOM Chairman, Joseph Kioko, thanked the event’s organisers.
YOU CAN ALSO READ: ENVIRONMENT: KEFRI makes efforts to green Kenya
