Mr Besesa has planted a total of 915 hectares of Pine and Eucalyptus trees in western Uganda

Driven by the need to please his father who was always against his ways of cutting trees without replacing, Mr Besesa started tree planting in 1996 to please his father not knowing that in future, it was to become a hobby to an extent of selling a Kampala based hotel (Mwana Highway Hotel- Ndeeba) to go and grow trees in the village.

Mr Besesa has planted a total of 915 hectares of Pine and Eucalyptus trees in western Uganda with 100 acres planted in 1996 in Kabale, 142 planted in Mbarara in 1998, 250 acres planted in Kibaale from 1999 to 2001 and 423 acres in Kasana-Kasambya forest reserve in Mubende district.

Taking between 7 to 10 years to mature for electricity connection poles, a 10 metre unprocessed Eucalyptus tree costs Shs100, 000 yet a 14 metre one costs Shs176, 000.

For strong timber, eucalyptus and pine trees take up to 20 years before getting ready for timber processing. Mr Besesa says he bought all the pieces of land using income from the sell of timber with exception of the land in Mubende which was given to him by the then forest department which is now National Forest Authority in 2003 for the same puporse. Depending on size and specie, timber ranges between Shs6,500 and Shs500,000.

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