Sustaining Industrial Forest Plantations Beyond The First Rotation Crop In Uganda

Abstract

This paper is based on a study conducted in three government industrial plantations namely Katugo, Mafuga and Mwenge, being harvested by concessionaires, where the Forest Department imposed a condition to replant an area equal to that harvested. The aim of the study was to contribute to the general understanding of the constraints to replanting rate in relation to harvesting rate: access the local people's perception of ownership of the replanted industrial forest plantations; and identify socio-economic and institutional factors that affect eh sustenance of timber supply from forestry administered questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data, which were analysed using SPSS statistical package. The results indicated that the average annual harvesting rate was 16.2 ha., and the replanting rate was 0.3 ha. By December 1998, replanting percentage over the area harvested by the concessionaires was 6.1%. Only 28% of the concessionaires had established tree nurseries and only 24% had attempted to replant the areas harvested. Concessionaires were not willing to carry out the replanting although, each miller was willing to make a monthly contributing of Ugandan shilling (Ug shs) 193,750 (US$ 143) to the Forest Department towards the replanting of the area (1.35 ha) they harvested monthly. Yet, the cost of replanting 1 ha by the Forest Department was about Ug. Shs. 400,000 (US$ 300). Local people prefer government ownership of the second rotation plantation to other forms of ownership; the replanting rate is far replanting. Therefore, the current level of management of industrial forest plantations in Uganda by the Forest Department unsustainable.

TJFNC Vol. 75 2004: pp. 44-53