NFA has a library at its head office with a range of information materials including those about tree species and the relevant areas suitable for them. Similar information can also be obtained from NFA’s field offices located in various regions of the country. People seeking such information can therefore visit the NFA head office or the field offices for assistance.    

The distance should be the equivalent in height of the mature tree of that species at that site so that even at felling, it falls on the planter’s own land.

Planting is a professional and expensive exercise. In some cases it is not that NFA has not fulfilled the requirement of planting immediately after harvesting but it is a requirement to allow for a bit of time to allow some natural processes to take place, for example in cases where the  stumps may be required to first ‘die’ before replanting takes place.

The second reason is that in order to replant, one must be ready in all aspects, including resources such as manpower, funds, equipment and documentation among others in case of a rotation crop i.e. changing the objectives and species. All this can cause replanting delays but mitigation measures are always provided for. Otherwise, NFA never harvests mature trees without a plan of replanting the area. Harvesting is the ultimate but replanting is the baseline requirement.

This is not acceptable. The land allocated for tree-planting belongs to the government of Uganda under NFA’s mandate. You can only transfer your trees to a third party if you request to have your license cancelled and if the third party accepts the conditions given to you.

In this case it is only the area planted by you that is transferred and the licensee continues where your license had reached e.g. if its 25 years and its year 17, he/she would have 8 years. NFA doesn’t encourage go-betweens (brokers) in tree planting business. If it’s a company one can buy shares in it and its shareholders/board would be required to inform NFA.

NFA is working to prevent and eradicate encroachment and degradation in CFRs. Beyond the CFRs’ frontiers, NFA is promoting private sector investment into afforestation by providing land at minimal fees. The NFA is also encouraging individuals and institutions to plant trees countrywide in order to reverse the declining forest cover in the country. NFA’s other forms of support include providing quality tree seeds and seedlings at affordable prices and offering technical support towards tree nursery and plantation management.

This payment is a regulatory mechanism which aims at controlling the market. This is done to prevent the person who harvested on private land from underselling his competitors. Otherwise, there is no payment necessary if the produce is for his own use.

The National Forestry and Tree Planting Act No. 8, 2003, prohibits dealings on land reserved as CFRs without the authorisation of the NFA.  Thus, in case of prohibited activities e.g. illegal pit sawing and charcoal burning, the timber and charcoal are impounded and other lawful measures taken.  They include fining owners of vehicles/vessels impounded with illegal forest produce and fining owners of illegal forest produce, while others are prosecuted in courts of law. Illegal settlers on forest land are evicted and/or taken to court.

Unless specified by the Minister, any other tree not on the CFR is taken care of by the District Forest Officer (DFO) or any person authorized by the Minister in the case of NFA it is the Law enforcement Unit. On request, NFA offers advisory services on sustainable forestry practices to private tree-planters who may not necessarily seek permission prior to cutting their trees.

In 2004, the NFA’s line Minister i.e. of Water, Lands and Environment issued a statutory instrument declaring the chain saw use contra band and it was widely published in the press. To-date, this is the legal instrument upon which the NFA’s interventions are based. The details of the instrument are available in the NFA library, which is accessible to the public.

If you find any one doing it and claims to be doing it on behalf of NFA let him/her give you proof of official authorization from NFA. Otherwise NFA cannot use such a tool for timber conversion. NFA operates by example!