In this post we will look at
1.)About KFS
2.)Qualification to be recruited in Kenya Forest service
3.)How Long Is KFS training
4.)Where does KFS training take place
5.)Kenya Forest service Location and headquarters
6.)Kenya Forest service recruitment and jobs
7.)Kenya Forest Service Latest News
8.)KFS Handling of seeds and seedlings
Kenya Forest Service was created through the Forest Act, 2005 .It is a government parastatal body whose main responsibility involves forestry development to cover all forests on state, local authority and private lands . Kenya Forest service headquarters is found along Kiambu road just opposite DCI headquarters
Kenya Forest Service headquarters along Kiambu road
Kenya Forest service has a wide number of station with Tree seed center located in Muguga .Nuguga is the main KEFRI headquarters. A place where you can find wide variety of seeds both indigenous and native .Kenya Forest research institute has 5 regional research programmes with head offices in Gede, Kitui, Muguga, Londiani and Maseno.
Kenya Forest Service has various forest stations all over the country mainly :
1.)Arabuko Sokoke Forest station
Image of Arabuko sokoke Kenya Forest station
2.)Chehe Forest Station
Image of chehe river in Chehe forest in Karatina
Conservation and protection of the environment, Chehe Forest and the ecosystem for posterity and prosperity done by Chehe Community Forest Association
3.)Ngong Hill Forest Station
Ngong Forest is one of the few natural forests in the capital city of Kenya. It is located along Ngong Road, 6 kilometres from Nairobi's central business district
Image of Donato Ndwiga at Kitale forest station
5.)Kipkurere Forest Station
Mexican Cypress seedling planted at Kipkurere forest station
Kipkurere Forest Station found in Uasin Gishu county covers an area of 5853.37Ha.
Kenya Forest Service Latest News
21/6/2024
Tree Growing In Turkana County
Image of Turkana county commisioner planting trees
Turkana County Commissioner Mr Julius Kavita represented the CS in accelerated tree growing activity at David Lee Adventist Nagis Secondary School in Loima Sub-County of Turkana County.
1500 seedlings including fruit trees were planted
It is important to ensure that only seeds of superior quality are used to propagate .
High quality seeds can be sourced from;
Kenya Forestry Seed Centre, KEFRI, Muguga as well as other KEFRI Regional outlets spread throughout the country including Maseno, Nyeri, Kitui, Turbo, Londiani, Kakamega and Gede. When buying seeds ensure that the package has a KEFRI label with the following details; the species, batch number, source of seeds, date collected, provenance, germination rate and weight
Importation When importing seeds, ensure that all conditions required by KEPHIS are met
Local collection Seeds can also be obtained through local collection from plus trees. In this case it is important to note the following;
• The plus tree should be healthy (that is not infected by pests and diseases), has straight bole/stem, heavy crown and exhibits vigorous growth.
• The mature fruits (capsules) should be golden brown in colour and not yet opened.
• The fruits should be handpicked, and then air dried before the seeds are extracted.
• To ensure seeds viability, the seeds should be placed in a dry container, sealed and stored in a cool and well ventilated room. • Eucalyptus seeds do not require pre-sowing treatments.
iv. Registered Seed Collectors The seeds can also be sourced from trained seed collectors who are registered with KEFRI. The collectors should provide proof of registration with KEFRI.
v. Facilitation by KFS Officers KFS field officers can facilitate farmers to source seeds from the above organizations besides any other outlet that has good quality seeds.
i. A plantable seedling should; a. have a height of 24-35cm, b. be disease and pest free, c. be potted singly in pots of sizes, 3 by 4 or 4 by 6 inches. (Seedlings from the Tree Biotechnology Project are planted in a vermiculite and cocopit mixture and are exempted from this requirement. Also note that these seedlings are in bio-degradable pots which should not be removed during planting.)
ii. Forest officers will facilitate farmers to source suitable seedlings from credible tree nurseries.
iii. Where a tree nursery owner claims to have raised seedlings from imported seeds, insist on the production of a Plant Import Permit (PIP), a Phytosanitary Certificate from the country of origin and a Seed Origin Certificate as proof of provenance.
Terms
Coppicing is a pruning technique that cuts trees and shrubs to ground level, causing new shoots to grow rapidly from the base.
Pollarding is when trees are cut to the main stem or trunk, ultimately controlling the height of the main stem itself.
Clones and Hybrids
Clones and hybrids can be sourced from Tree Biotechnology Trust nursery in Karura, or their outlets in Meru, Eldoret and Gede or any nurseries which are registered with the Tree Biotechnology Project (TBP)
Factors to consider when setting a tree nursery
Place the nursery near a permanent water source
Ensure that there is sufficient protection from livestock, human traffic, excess sunlight, storms etc
Ensure that there is adequate drainage to avoid water logging.
Ensure that the nursery has good accessibility for ease of delivering nursery production materials and sales
Seed sowing and management in the nursery
• Soil should be collected at least three months before potting and should be watered for the weed seeds to germinate and ensure there is complete decomposition of organic matter. Regularly turn and mix the soil for complete germination of undesirable seeds.
• Seedbed and nursery beds should be oriented East-West direction
• Seeds should be mixed with fine sand in equal ratio and sown (spread) in a sandy medium in a seedbed. Cover the seedbed with mulch. .Germination takes 7-14 days.
• They should be pricked out into individual suitable containers when the first two leaves are formed. This should be done under a shade.
• Use of manure or fertilizer is recommended for healthy seedlings. The recommended soil to manure ratio is 3:1.
• Seedlings should be watered every day before 9am and after 5pm.
• Avoid excessive watering. Keep the containers /pots moist but not water logged.
• Place the seedlings under light shade to protect them from excessive sunlight or rain storms.
• Use recommended herbicides, fungicides and pesticides as advised by the forest field officers.
• It takes 4-5 months to attain plantable size.
• Root prune at least twice for the open pots.
• Nursery records should be maintained in all tree nurseries. These include;
i. Nursery seed book
ii. Nursery cost allocation register
iii. Daily occurrence book
iv. Nursery ledger book
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