Special Kenya

KENYA PROVES THE IMPORTANCE OF SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU SQUANDER YOUR ASSETS

We’ve known for a long time that Africa has a large storeroom with by far the most charming wood sorts on the planet. Obviously, this knowledge added an extra dimension to a trip to the ‘Horn of Africa’ for the editor of this trade journal. We can now launch a new album under the title ‘Floor Forum in Kenya’. Was the journey fruitless? In terms of forests it certainly was, or at least what is left of them. Against a background of reckless abuse of raw materials, the country is permeated with terrorism, criminality, poverty, and a population explosion which exceeds economic growth. Taking photographs is more or less prohibited.

Geography Kenya lies on the equator and has a surface area of 582,646km². The country has a border with Ethiopia (830km) and Sudan (232km) in the north, Somalia (682km) and the Indian Ocean to the east, Uganda (933km) and Lake Victoria to the west, and Tanzania (769 km) in the south. There is a series of coral reefs and a number of islands off the occasionally jagged coastline, including the Lama archipelago and Mandu. From the coastline, which is up to 200km wide and 150m long, the country gradually ascends towards a parallel located plateau between 150 and 300 metres high. In the north and north-west this merges into an upland plain (300 to 1500 metres high). This is part

of the East African plateau, which runs in the south-west into the Kenya Highlands (1500 to 3000m high). The Highlands are dissected in a northern-southern direction by the East African Plain, which is a branch of the north to south running Great African Plain or Great Rift Valley. This valley lies 600 to 900m lower than the surrounding area and is flanked by high volcanoes. Near Lake Naivasha the plain lies about 2000 metres above sea level. Here we also find the second highest mountain in Africa, Mount Kenya (5199 metres). This area is the most fertile part of the country and the lower-lying parts of the mountains are used intensively for agriculture. This valley hosts a number of lakes, including Lake Rudolf, Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha, and Lake Magadi, which are all largely within the territory of Kenya between the two valleys. The west of Kenya consists of an undulating hilly landscape which stretches from the Sudanese border in the north to Tanzania in the south.

Economy Kenya has a more modern economy than other East African countries. However, the disappointing economic growth is a major problem. Average annual growth is a mere 2% as opposed to population growth of around 4% (in 2017 this was 5%). This is due to the stunted agricultural production and the unfavourable results of an industrialisation policy which was geared to curbing imports. The country is heavily

dependant on foreign capital. Foreign debt amounts to 54% of gross domestic product (2017). Another serious problem is unemployment (about 40% in 2017), which is caused mainly by the rapid population explosion.

Agriculture In 2017, over 60% of the working population was employed in agriculture. However, the contribution from this sector to the gross domestic product (GDP) was a mere 34.5%. The vast majority of Kenyans live in a region with good or reasonably good arable lands (20% of the total surface area). However, almost half of the rural population lives on the poverty line. Nevertheless, agriculture is the main source of foreign exchange (half of exports consist of agricultural products, namely coffee and tea), followed by tourism, which is growing rapidly. The constantly recurring periods of drought are a major problem for the agricultural sector.

Industry Industry (about 17.8% of GDP in 2017) and trade and services (about 47.5% of GDP) are based mainly on private enterprise. The industrial, agricultural, and tourist sectors are largely in the hands of foreign companies. Although the government wants more Kenyan participation in the economy, it also encourages foreign companies to invest in Kenya.

Mainly food Another hindrance to economic progress is a lack of minerals and energy sources, such as petroleum, gas, and coal. About 40% of all industrial production comprises food and luxuries. Other notable industries are the chemical, metal, textile and leather, and paper and graphic industries. Most big industrial enterprises are owned by foreign companies. Most companies are located around Nairobi and Mombasa, but there are some smaller industrial centres in Nakuru, Kisumu, Eldoret, and Thika. Filip De Ridder (Floor Forum) says: ‘Besides big companies which yield the lion’s share of production, there are scores of smaller traditional companies in Nairobi.’ Only 20% of industrial production is destined for export. The annual production growth is based entirely on the rising national demand.

Wood and parquet Forests in Kenya Kenyan plant growth along the coast and around the river estuaries consists of coconut palm trees, mangrove forests, and tropical woods. It is a fertile region where mangoes, lemons, oranges, and many tropical flowers grow. Further inland the greenery turns into a savannah landscape with thorn bushes, screen acacia trees, and baobabs. This vegetation is found in the eastern and northern parts of Kenya. On the plateau you find highland woods, which, depending on height and climate, vary from the very heavy wood of the wild olive tree to the very light wood of the gyrocarpus jacquinii. A lot of mountain forests also have a bamboo belt. You will find some splendid woods on the volcano hills (up to 3300m). A lot of screen acacias grow at the foot of those hills.

Agriculture versus forestry ‘In Floor Forum and Floor Forum International we’ve often talked about sustainable forest management and initiatives such as FSC and PEFC,’ says Filip De Ridder. ‘Here we get a stark reminder of why those organisations are so valuable.’ Here in Kenya people have been cutting wood recklessly for a long time, with all the associated consequences. The facts do not lie. The forest cover, which lies mostly between 1800 and 3000m above sea level, is largely protected, so it cannot be exploited economically. Moreover, the expansion of agriculture and the growing demand for wood have reduced forest resources from 30% to 3% over a period of 50 years. An ecological catastrophe threatens because 25% of the country is already desert-like. The bamboo forests are certainly important for the large paper factory in Webuye.

Nevertheless top class wood! Kenya has various top class sorts of beautiful yet sometimes unknown wood sorts. We mention here two sorts which are used for parquet.

Panga-panga ‘Panga-panga’ has many of the same features as ‘wenge’, but it has a light brown colour. The drying process and the sunlight make it increasingly darker. This durable type of wood comes from a tree which only grows 18 to 20 metres high with a cross-section from 50 to 60cm and grows mainly on the east coast of Kenya and Mozambique and near the lakes of Tanzania. The wood’s positive features make it suitable for all sorts of applications (e.g. parquet and strip floors, door and window frames, wooden wall cladding, and stairs and staircase steps), but also wood carving, sculpture, and solid and veneer wood for the furniture industry.

Muhuhu Muhuhu has become renowned in Europe as parquet wood. Trials in Great Britain have shown that both flat-sawn and quarter-sawn wood is not only highly durable, but also wears evenly with no splinters or roughening on the surface. Since the wood cannot be nailed, people mainly apply the mosaic-type of parquet, which can be glued directly onto stony substrates. Muhuhu parquet is suitable not only for use in private houses, but also in buildings where there is heavy traffic or in companies where fork lift trucks are used. Muhuhu is strong and durable and is popular in Kenya and Tanzania for hut stakes and beams and for construction purposes on bridges, ports, and such like.

Sustainable forest management reaps rewards The fact that the forest area for exploitation has decreased from 30% to 3% of the surface has resulted from years of poor management. Filip De Ridder concludes: ‘That shows all the more the need for sustainable forest management initiatives from organisations which supervise these matters such as the FSC, PEFC, and many others.’