THE GREEN GOLD. OSYRIS LANCEOLATA

This is our next tree of concern after Warbugia ugandensis

Sandle wood tree

Osyris lanceolata, also known as African sandalwood, is an evergreen, multi-stemmed, hardy shrub or small tree, 2-6 m high flowering plant. It has a blue-green shade for colour. Osyris majorly occurs naturally in evergreen bushland or scrub, usually in rocky places, also where the original vegetation has been cleared; forest margins; rocky thickets, wooded grassland, woodland and on the margins of forests. Its fruits are fleshy, small, about 15 x 10 mm, becoming yellow and ripening to bright red to purplish black. The generic name is from the Greek word ozos; meaning branch, referring to the branching habit of the plant. The specific name lanceolata refers to the lance-shaped leaves. The hemi-parasitic( obtain part of its food from other plants), found from South Africa to Zimbabwe and east Africa, including Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda.

Uses of Sandal wood:

Osyris wood is sold locally and also traded internationally for its essential oil which is used in making perfume. Roots and wood are scented and used to make other cosmetics and to extract essential oil by big companies. Because of this, it is overexploited and consequently currently under presidential protection; meaning no extraction of any of its part is allowed in Kenya. Osyris has a hard and durable wood which is used for timber, firewood, and utensils (pestles). The bark was used by early inhabitants for tanning leather, while the root produces a strong red dye. The root fibres are mostly used in basketry. Roots and bark are used for tea and as a tonic in soup.They are very decorative, and will attract birds into your garden. Ripe fruits are eaten raw, with the seed discarded, but only as an emergency food for herdsmen. Traditionally various Kenyan communities used Osyris lanceolata to preserve milk in gourds for long periods. The root decoction is used to treat diarrhoea in Kenya. A decoction of the bark and heartwood is used to treat some sexually transmitted diseases and anaemia in Tanzania. Extracts from the plant are said to cure certain diseases, including Hepatitis B.

Growing Osyris lanceolata

Osyris lanceolata grows from seeds in the natural habitats. In garden, seeds must be sown fresh to the ground. No pretreatment is necessary, but nicking the base of the seed improves germination. Seed germination can reach 60% after 6 weeks. Plants prefer well drained clays or deep loams in a shade area, especially when still in early growth stages. They grow very slowly, and are frost- and drought-tolerant.

Disclaimer: Young leaves are poisonous to goats.

How to prepare

✓ The roots and bark are ground and used to make a tea and are added as a tonic in soups

✓ The leaves are steamed, dried in the shade and then used to make a tea

✓ Eaten by children, but mainly seen as an emergency food, only eaten when there is nothing better available

✓ The root is boiled in water for about 10 minutes and the liquid given to women after childbirth to control bleeding and boost energy

✓ The bark is boiled in water, strained and then boiled again to form a gelatinous mass. This is used in the treatment of bloody dysentery

✓ The mass is also applied externally to set dislocated bone, and is put in the eye to relieve inflammation

✓ The juice of the bark is used in the treatment of indigestion, and is applied to foreheads to relieve headaches

✓ A decoction of the bark and heartwood is used to treat sexually transmitted diseases and anaemia

✓ A paste of the fruit is applied to the forehead to relieve headaches

✓ A paste of the leaf buds is applied to cuts and wounds

GROW CROPS IN THE FORESTS OR NOT?

Photo credit: Courtesy.

PELIS....You know what it means? 

In the past few day, there has been a heated debate following the DP's pronouncement that farmers should be allowed to grow crops in the forest. By the way it's been happening from 2005, even right now. What changed was the directive by the CS for Environment and Forest, that other crops would be grown but not maize. Let me weigh in as below...

Plantation Establishment and Livelihood Improvement Scheme (PELIS) is a scheme introduced after enactment of the Forest Act, 2005. It is a governance scheme by Kenya Forest Service (KFS) to help increase forest cover and restore degraded forests in the country. Forest adjacent communities (FAC) living within 10 km around forests benefit from the scheme where they are allocated plots upon which they grow their crops and help to plant tree seedlings, take care of them till the area forms a closed canopy. After the canopy formation by trees, farming in that particular area stops and the farmers can be moved elsewhere where they can do farming and grow more trees. Cultivation of crops is often allowed to continue for 3 to 4 years until tree canopy closes. PELIS scheme is meant to improve tree survival and reduce cost of establishing tree plantations and engage communities in benefiting from the surrounding forests.

The 2005 Forest Act provides a legal framework that requires requires forest adjacent communities to register a Community Forest Associations (CFAs) and participate in joint management with Kenya Forest Service for identified forest area.The Act confers user and access rights to CFA;  to graze their livestock, develop eco-tourism projects and practise bee-keeping in designated forest areas but they also assume responsibilities of carrying out some conservation and protection activities.

In 2016, The Forest Act of 2005 was then revised into the Forest Conservation and Management Act No. 34 of 2016 which retained Participatory Forest Management ( PFM) as a pillar to the conservation of forest resources in Kenya. This is an incentive system anchored in section 48 and 49 of the Forest Management and Conservation Act of 2016, which allows forests adjacent communities, through Community Forests Associations (CFAs) to use forestlands for food crop production while supporting forest establishment phase. 

The land which the community members are given is usually the forest land under plantation when the trees have been harvested or when re-establishing degraded areas of the forest. The portions are sub-divided through a balloting method among the CFA members. Once a CFA member has been given a portion, they are required to pay an annual commitment fee depending on the portion of land owned to the Kenya Forest Service (KFS). A quarter an acre costs Kshs. 250 (about USD 2.50) which is paid once every year until the trees grow.

FARMER RESPONSIBILITY

Photo credit: courtesy
Seedling theft, grazing, inflicted damages, uncontrolled burning of field debris, pests and disease influence survival rate of newly planted seedlings. Farmers enrolled in PELIS system are therefore charged with the responsibility of helping with  the clearing of area intended for planting or replanting,  cultivating the the land, taking part in actual planting of seedlings provided by KFS, protecting the seedlings from animals or pest damages by weeding the trees as they weed their crops. Reporting any sign of disease attack to forest management. At some point they even help in transporting the seedlings in the ox- drawn carts, when forest road become impassable.

What happens when the farmers are removed from the equation?

✓ There is low survival rate of seedlings. Meaning the forest plantation will be written off or beaten up( gapped) at a cost running into thousands.

✓There will be no free labour. As a practicing Forester i will tell you that labour cost  to plant just one acre of trees  isn't small amount of money. The high cost of labour translates into less forests planted. 

✓Higher maintenance cost. Control of weeds, animals, pests,  rodents etc have a cost. 

✓Some areas won't be planted. Forest roads are not all-weather roads. Planting is done during rainy seasons. As the vehicles won't reach some area, such area won't be planted.

✓ Human vandalism by locals who feel offended/ conflicted. They even uproot planted seedling in protest. Unregulated grazing  

✓Weakened  CFA spirit and lack of revenue that was regenerated by selling PELIS permits.

FACTS AND FIGURES ON GAINS OF PELIS

A 2016 research on the PELIS approach in Western Kenya also shows similar results of increased forest coverage. The research published in the American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry found that between 2001 and 2016, there was an increase of 114hectares (51%) of area under forest in Malava Forest, Kakamega County.

PELIS  is a system that has been used Kenya Forest Service (KFS) to achieve 12.13 % tree cover and  8.83 %  forest cover up from 5.9 percent of 2018, if the National Forest Resources Assessment (NFRA) Report 2021 is anything to go by. 

Source https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/html/10.11648.j.ajaf.20160405.13.html

1. Higher  Tree Seedling Survival: Tree seedling survival under PELIS is generally good. Case studies done in Gathiuru, Kamae and Thogoto registered over 75% survival compared to Bahati, Timboroa and Dundori that had survival below 75% 

2. Increased Forest cover :The area under PELIS increased from 2933 ha in 2010/2011 financial year to 9939 ha in 2012/2013 

3. Low plantation establishment cost: PELIS has economic  benefits to both Kenya Forest Service and farmers. Kenya Forest Service benefits from; low plantation establishment costs and high tree seeding survival. Case studies on cost benefit analysis have shown farmers benefiting from PELS with a net present vaue for 4 years at Ksh. 1,272,573/ha. In the case study potato growing was about four times more profitable than maize and beans 

LESSON LEARNT

• Farmers will participate in PELIS if they perceive a positive economic gain.

• Contribution of PELIS to the economy is in the range of Ksh. 14 bilion.

• Implementation of PELIS through Community Forest Associations has been successful due to their governance structures and joint agreements with KFS.

• Raising plantation under PELIS is cost effective.

• PELIS can pay a major role in ensuring national food security.

Source: click here

Kenya is among the 141 countries which committed to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030 at the twenty-sixth Conference of Parties (COP26) held in Glasgow, United Kingdom. Approaches such as PELIS could go a long way to help Kenya achieve this course and its own national target of achieving 10% forest cover by 2030. If we are to achieve this, then there is no reason to opposed well structured PELIS system with all stakeholders playing their roles to the letter.