Why the dearth of effective, timely communication may trouble our Society and communities for long?

After listening to discussions on forestry and commercial tree farming & logging on inooro TV recently, I wondered why authorities mandated to pass information to citizens decide to horde information.

The Oct 14th 11am to 1pm discussion was quite timely given recent outcry on alleged wanton destruction of forests and especially in the Aberdares forest ecosystem.

I learnt among other facts that the colonial government established millions of hectares of commercial forests (adjacent to natural forests which also happen to be major water towers in the country) to stop harvesting of indigenous trees and denigrating of natural forests and biodiversity.

The trees in commercial forests are harvested in a cycle of 30 years (this is the period in which the trees which include cypress, eucalyptus, & ‘mukima’ among other exotic trees) are expected to be fully mature for harvesting.

The harvesting is done in sections which are then filled with young, new trees as guided by the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) in collaboration with CFAs (Community Forest Associations).

… If the trees mature up and are not harvested, they start rotting and go to waste and hence the need for logging to sustain the country logging and furnitures among other production uses.

The CFAs plant & nurture thousands of tree seedlings in readiness for planting once the mature trees have been harvested.

Members of the CFAs also plant food crops in some of the areas where trees have been harvested in consultation with the KFS.

They also dedicatedly, as per the interviewees (who included a CFA chair; chair of Forest Manufacturers Association (FMA) & East Africa Biodiversity Rights members among others), take good care of the trees plantations thinning some of the trees and removing others which are unhealthy and not likely to mature well.

The interviewees also asserted that CFAs ensure that the KFS protected natural forests are left intact and not interfered with. Harvesting of the nature trees in the indigenous, gazetted forests is a duty and prerogative of the KFS.

The CFAs members were described as very dedicated to forests conservation and management as guided by the forests conservation and management Bill currently undergoing discussions in Parliament.

Why the CFAs dedication? Their members’ entire livelihoods depend on the forests.

Moreover, thousands of other citizens rely on the trees for logging of timbers while thousands others live off manufacturing industries that use timber as the major raw material….

If such correct information was to be timely and effectively shared with many citizens, more Kenyans would be more informed and aware and thus more dedicated to learn about forests, their conservation and other forms of environmental conservation.

They would know the previous value of the trees not just in gazetted forests but also in their domestic spaces.

Planting and taking care of trees (growing of trees) would easily become a lifestyle in the country… It would also easily become a relevant and crucial hobby for many others .