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Our forests

Plantations around the Nyungwe buffer zone, run under a Concession and Lease Agreement with the Government of Rwanda and the Forest Management Plan 2022-2026.

Concessions

One FSC-certified concession of four plantations across Nyamagabe, Nyaruguru, Karongi and Nyamasheke.

FSC® FM/CoC certified

Nyungwe buffer zone

One FSC-certified management unit of 9,084.56 hectares around Nyungwe National Park: 8,052 ha of plantation and 1,032 ha set aside for conservation. The plantations shield the natural forest while supplying the Gatare sawmill, and are managed under the Forest Management Plan 2022-2026.

49-year Concession and Lease Agreement with the Government of Rwanda · Nyamagabe, Nyaruguru, Karongi, Nyamasheke, Southern and Western Provinces

  • Certified area

    9,084.56 ha

  • Planted

    8,052 ha

  • Conservation

    1,032 ha

  • Lease

    49 years

Forest cycle

  1. Pine seedlings in rows under shade netting in a tree nursery01

    Seed and nursery

    Seed raised in UFCL nurseries at Kitabi, Kamatsira and Gatare, for our plantations and for outgrower farmers.

  2. Young trees establishing on a replanted hillside02

    Planting

    330,000 pine and eucalyptus seedlings planted across about 297 ha in FY23/24.

  3. Straight pine stems in a tended plantation stand03

    Tending

    Weeding, pruning and thinning under the Forest Management Plan 2022-2026.

  4. Forestry worker in protective gear felling a tree with a chainsaw04

    Harvest

    32,398 m³ harvested in FY23 and hauled to the Gatare sawmill next door.

  5. Pine seeds ready for sowing05

    Replant

    Harvested compartments are replanted from the next batch of seed, and the cycle starts again.

Community voices

Outgrower farmers, beekeepers and savings groups around the plantations share in every harvest.

“The forest has regenerated, producing at least three coppices.”

Uwanyirigira Shadia

UFCL outgrower

With UFCL seedlings she planted her own forest. Her first harvest earned RwF 2,500,000 and built a house she now rents out.

Community programmes
Communities

Corporate social responsibility is run by a dedicated lead and tied to the people who live beside the forests.

  • Beekeeping cooperatives

    Apiculture groups working in and around the plantations, supported by UFCL.

  • Village savings and loan associations

    Community savings groups set up with the people who live and work beside the forest.

  • Outgrower support

    UFCL seedlings and advice for farmers who plant their own woodlots.

  • Clean water

    Water supply projects in the Gatare and Buruhukiro sectors.

  • Health posts and schools

    Contributions to health posts and school buildings in the communities around the concession.

  • Local jobs and training

    More than 2,000 people employed across FY23 and FY24, most from the sectors where we operate.