TABLE OF CONTENT

 Definition.
 Types of forest .
 Factors influencing distribution of forest
 Importance of forestry and its products
 Images of products of forest.
 Problems facing forestry in Kenya today.
 Images of problems facing forestry in
Kenya.
 Management and Conservation of
forestry.
 Tree harvesting and logging.
 Graph of growth of forest in Kenya.
 Audio/video
 FORESTRY
- Is the science and craft of creating,
managing, planting, using, conserving
and
repairing forests and woodlands for
associated
resources for human and environmental
benefits
FOREST
- Is a huge area of land dominated by trees.
Or an area covered by trees
Silviculture - pertains to the establishment,
development, are and reproduction of forests
crops.
Pollarding: This is a process in which the
branch of a plant is cut off in order to
produce a flush of new shoots.
Lopping: It pertains to the cutting of branches
or even young stems.
Pruning: Means the cutting of branches from
the bole in order to maintain the quality of
timber.
Coppice: When certain plants or seedling are
cut from near ground level, they produce a
flush of fresh shoots
 Seed orchards: are plantations which may raised
exclusively with the aim of producing seed.

 Pricking out: When the seedlings have to be kept

in the nursery for more than a year, it must be
transferred to beds, other than the seedling
beds.
 Wind breaks: Is a protective plantation in a
certain area, against strong winds. It is usually
comprised of a few rows of trees (or shrubs)
spaces at 0.5 to 2.5 m apart.)

 Shelter belts: is a wide zone of trees, planted in

rows, usually at right angles to the direction of
the prevailing winds.
• To deflect the air current.
• To reduce the velocity of prevailing
winds
• To provide general protection
• To protect the leeward area from the
desiccating effects of hot winds.

Ecology: is the study of organisms and how

they interact with the environment around them.
Environment :can be defined as a sum total of
all the living and non-living elements and their
effects that influence human life.
 Tending: Refers to operation which are
carried out for the well being of forest crops, at
any stage of it life.
 Tending process include: weeding, cleaning,
thinning, improvement feeling
 Felling: Felling comprise of removal of trees
either singly or in small groups scattered all
over the forest.
 Afforestation: Establishing a forest by
artificial means on an area on which not forest
vegetation has existed for a long time in the
past.
 Reforestation: Re-establishing a forest, by
artificial means on an area which previously
bore forest vegetation
 Age crop: The age of a regular crop corresponding to
its crop diameters.
 Age classification: The division of a crop according
to difference in age or the allotment of woods to age
classes.
 Basal area: The area of the cross section of a stem at
breast height, when applied to a crop, the sum of basal
areas of all the stems or the total basal areas per unit
area.
 Bole: The main stem of a tree.
 Breast height: Almost universally adopted as the
standard height for measuring the girth, diameter and a
basal areas of standing trees.
 Coupe: A felling area, usually one of an annual series
unless otherwise stated.
 Crown: The upper branchy part of the tree above the
bole.
 Dendrology: The identification and systematic
classification of trees.
 Reserved forests: an area so constituted under the
Indian Forest Act or other Forests law.
 Protected forests: A legal terms for an area
subjected to limited degrees of protection under the
provision of Chapter IV of the Indian Forest Act
 Unclassed forest: Forest land owned by Government
but not constituted in to a reserved, village or protected
forest.
 Log: The stem of a tree or a length of stem or branch
after felling and trimming.
 Logging: Operation comprising felling of trees,
of the resulting product out of the
forest timber harvesting.
 Pole: A young tree from the time when the lower
branches begin to fall off to the time when rate of
height growth begins to slow down and crown
expansion becomes marked.
 Raft: An assemblage of logs, timbers or bamboos
tied together or enclosed within a boom for transport
by floating.
 Scrub: Inferior growth consisting chiefly of small or
stunted trees and shrubs.
 Stand: An aggregation of trees or other growth
possessing sufficient uniformity in composition,
constitution, age arrangement or condition, to be
distinguished from adjacent crops.
 Succession: The gradual replacement of one
community by another in the development of
vegetation towards a climax
 TYPES OF FORESTS
 Natural forests
 Semi-natural forests
 Planted/cultivated Forests
 Tropical evergreen forests.
 The tropical deciduous forests.
 Scrub forests and grassland.
 Desert vegetation.
 Mountain forests.
 Mangrove forests
Natural forests grow spontaneously from the
original forest cover.
Semi natural forests refers to A stand which is
composed predominantly of native trees and
shrub species which have not been planted.
Planted forest –refer a forest that at maturity is
predominantly composed of trees established
through planting and/or deliberate seeding.
Tropical evergreen forest – refer to are dense,
multi-layered, and habuor many types of plants
and animals.
Decidous/moonsoon forests - Trees of this
forest-type shed their leaves for about six to eight
weeks in dry summer (receive rainfall – 70-200mm)
 Grasslands/scrub forests- are found
where there is not enough regular rainfall to
support the growth of a forest, but not so little
that a desert forms
 Desert vegetation -a plant suited to the
environment of arid regions of little rainfall that
often stores water in its tissues or hollow center
and reduces transpiration eg

 Mountain forest - Mountain forests can be

defined as forests on land with an elevation of 2
500 m above sea level or higher
 Mangrove forests are a group of trees and
shrubs that live in the coastal intertidal zone
 Factors Influencing Types and Distribution of Forests
1.TEMPERATURE
 High temperature causes fast growth
of trees while low temperature causes
slow growth.

2.SOIL
 Deep soils support huge tropical trees while
shallow soils support coniferous trees which
have shallow and wide spread root system to
be able to maximally utilize water on the top
soil .
 Infertile soils have stunted trees.
3.CLIMATE:

4.ALTITUDE.

5.TOPOGRAPHY

6.HUMAN ACTIVITIES
 Deforestation -man has cleared
forests for agriculture settlement.
Afforestation -man has planted trees
in areas where they never existed
establishing forests there.
 Re-afforestation man has replanted
forests which have led to clearing
indigenous and exotic trees
 Agroforestry Is the planting of
trees and crops in the same farm
AGROFORESTRY MINING REAFFORESTATION

FOREST FIRES

HUMAN ACTIVITIES
AFFORESTATION
IMPORTANCE OF FORESTS IN KENYA
1. Forests are water catchment areas which
supports agriculture .
2. Forests provide us with wood fuel
e.g. firewood, charcoal etc
3. Forests prevent soil erosion by their roots
binding the soil together.
4. Forests are habitats of wild animals which are a
tourist attraction.
5. Forests regulates air thus reducing global
warming.
6. Forests increase soil fertility when leaves fall and
decompose forming humus.
WATER CATCHMENT WOOD FUEL SOIL EROSION

FALLED LEAVES DECOMPOSE

HABITAT FOR ANIMALS FORMING HUMUS
 FOREST PRODUCTS
1. Forests are a source of food e.g.

2. Forests provide raw material for the of

3. Animals in forests are hunted for food

and skins.
4. Leaves of trees and forest undergrowth
are used as livestock fodder.
5. Forest flora and fauna are a rich reservoir
for research .
IMAGES OF FINAL FOREST PRODUCTS

LOGS
PAPER

TIMBER RUBBER
 Problems Facing Forestry in Kenya
1. Encroachment by people by clearing for
settlement, grazing etc.
2. Destruction of young trees by herbivorous
wild animals such as elephants
3. Destruction of forests by fires caused by
poachers.
4. Pests and diseases outbreak
5. Overexploitation whereby the trees are
harvested at a higher rate
6. Mining activities lead to clearance and
destruction of forest (mineral extraction)
Human activities Overexploitation
(logging)

Fire outbreaks Mining activities

Conservation of forests is protection of
forests against interference and destruction.
The conservation measures are :
Creation of forest reserves to protect
indigenous forest from extinction.
Setting of guards to protect against
illegal logging.
Afforestation and re-afforestation.
Agroforestry.
 MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
1. Control of pests which affect trees.
2. Carry out public campaigns through mass
media on the importance of forests.
3. Use of alternative sources of energy e.g. sun to
reduce the rate of tree felling.
4. Use of energy saving stoves to reduce the rate
of overexploitation of wood fuel.
5. Improvement on cutting practices by selective
falling of trees and replanting more trees than
those cut.
6. Determination of trees suitable for an area to
compact disease outbreak.
 TREE HARVESTING AND LOGGING
TREE HARVESTING
Is the practice of marking trees that are
to be removed
,felling and means of transporting
them for processing
LOGGING
Is the process of cutting down trees and
transporting them to sawmills for further
Conversion
Categorized into :selective and clear
cutting
MACHINERY FOR TREE HARVESTING AND LOGGING.
WOOD FACTORIES AND THEIR DONE PRODUCTS