Hi there,

I have some 10 acres of land in some fair dry are which I have been planning to plant trees. Eucalyptus/blue-gam seems to do well in that neighbourhood,in fact a few plots near there have almost mature forests.

With all the issues being raised on Eucalyptus being bad for environment,which other tree species would do well in dry parts and be of commercial value - that is mature quickly,can be used for timber,poles etc

@Mumbi,

Pine seems not to do well in that area. I spoke to some people in the neighbourhood who have tried it and dried up. Am keen to plant something that is environmentally friendly and also get a buck out of it. In the absence of a suitable alternative,I may have to just fall back to eucalyptus/blue-gum

TD,
Kudos to you for thinking about the environment. Trees are a long term investment and it is important that you get the right information. Go to KEFRI (Kenya Forestry Research Institute) and you will get all the right information regarding trees. The right tree for a specific region,soil type and rainfall pattern. They will give you all the information about how long the trees take to mature,what care they need,diseases and pests that may affect them and what you can do about them. Get the information from experts and you will be the wiser for it. Some of these government institutions have a lot of information but people don't utilize them enough.
The offices are in Muguga. Take the Nairobi-Nakuru highway and just after Sigona Golf Club in the small township called Zambezi take a left turn. About 2 or 3 kilometres down that road is KEFRI. While you are there you can also visit KARI (Kenya Agricultural Research Institute) and you can learn more about other areas of Agriculture. These are 2 fantastic institutions that have done a lot of work that can revolutionize Agriculture in Africa if it can be utilized.

Weusi wa nywele za mshtakiwa zaonyesha ujinga alio nao

@Kusadikika and @Eddy

Thanks for the info,I will pay a visit to KEFRI and hear what they have to say.