There are several types but predominantly they are classified as either primary or planted forests. These forests are on an alarming decline due to human activities such as clearing land for settling the large population. The forest types in Kenya are described below.
Primary plantations reserved for protection purposes e.g., indigenous forests of Kenya, These forests consist of native species and have had no human intervention such that their ecological processes are intact and not significantly disturbed. Primary forests are those forests that have never been logged and have developed under natural processes. They are predominantly grown through natural regeneration e.g., closed indigenous forest confined to high elevations such as those found in Mt. Kenya, mountain ranges of the Aberdares, Mau and Cherengani.
They are also found on higher elevations such as hills, mountains near the northern and southern borders of the country like Mts. Marsabit and Kulai and the Eastern Arc Mountains of Taita Hills. The forests in the western parts e.g., remnants of the Guino-Congolian rainforest found in Nandi and Kakamega areas and the mangrove forests along the Coast.
Planted forests are the forest established through afforesting land or a secondary forest established by planting or direct seeding. Examples include plantations of exotic species of Pinus patula, Eucalyptus saligna and Cupressus lusitanica that were introduced around some primary forests to: to add value to indigenous forests, for production of pulp and paper andPlantations include also other wooded land planted with introduced species and also in some cases native species. Such forests are established through planting or seeding with exotic species characterized by few species, straight tree lines and to act as buffers to indigenous forests.
Other wooded forests also exist in Kenya and these are forests whose trees’ crown cover is 5 to10 %, able to reach a height of 5m at maturityExamples are shrubs or bush cover of more than 10 percent found mostly in semi arid areas such as in Kenya.Forests are also known by the area they are found