Uganda, Trees for global Benefits

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The programmes aims are to:

• Raise awareness of climate change and related issues
• Increase household incomes through carbon payments
• Offer the farmers technical advice and allow them access to other markets such as timber, fuelwood, fruit, fodder and poles
• Conserve biodiversity by promoting indigenous tree species

Current carbon sequestration activities

The project is working with established groups of farmers to plan agroforestry and small scale plantations. Activities include:

• Planting of mixed native woodlot for timber, including mahogany, cedar, African cherry, laurel, and silk trees
• Boundary planting for fuel wood and fruit
• Protection of wildlife and native forest remnants

Agroforestry methodology

Planting is usually done during the rains in September.

How much carbon is sequestered?

The amount of carbon sequestered varies depending on the type of land use system that is implemented. Woodlots are the most popular choice of system for farmers. Woodlots sequester the most per area of land - around 70tC / ha as a result of a change from arable land to the woodlot. Woodlots have approximately 240 trees per ha and the main species used are Maesopsis eminii, a large native woodland tree which is often used for firewood, African cherry, laurel, silk trees and mahogany. Maesopsis can be used for provision of shade under coffee and banana land use systems and can give better yeilds. The Maesopsis also produce fodder (fruits), support honey production and as a native tree has environmental benefits also. Rotations can be on a 20 year regieme, so benefits can be accrued relatively quickly. Growing crops integrated with the tree seedlings also increases the benefits from the land and shortens the payback period.

Other uses such as boundary planting produce less and intercropping produce lower carbon benefits. However intercropping with nitrogen fixing trees is beneficial as yeilds are increased and often fruit trees are planted around homesteads, which produces other benefits in ternms of increased income for small farmers.

Associated activities

The project area which is covered by Trees for global Benefit, is large, and includes the Bitereko sub-county which has started a very successful initiative, which is reliant on the trees planted through the project for Carbon payments.

In Bunyaruguru, the project acts as a buffer zone for protected areas as it is on the edge of the local Forest Reserve and National Park. The terrain in this county is hilly and most of the land has been cleared to grow Matoke, or a variety of savoury banana, which are the main crop in this region. Growing trees in this area is an alternative to the popular fast growing species such as eucalyptus and pine which are often planted to provide firewood.

Watershed protection is another important environmental benefit of the project. The project area is in the catchment of Lake George, a Ramsar site, and much of the site has steep slopes and little vegetation so treeplanting is beneficial to stabalise soils.

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