Mzimba has intensified efforts to restore degraded landscapes following the depletion of some of the district’s vegetative cover.
The district’s senior forestry officer Masozi Shaba said in an interview on Wednesday that preparations for the tree-planting season are progressing well.
“So far, we have produced 5 896 003 seedlings and the exercise is continuing. We will announce the launch of the tree-planting exercise in due course,” she said.
Shaba said the district will work with various stakeholders and partners to meet the target.
“Tree-planting is a national cause and as usual, we will collaborate with various partners working in the district. We are engaging them ahead of the launch so that the exercise is well coordinated and inclusive,” she said.
Shaba said Mzimba has been making steady progress in tree-planting, although challenges such as erratic
rainfall have affected trees’ survival rate.
She said four million trees were planted in the previous planting season but at least half of them survived.
James Soko, a resident, welcomed efforts to plant more trees to replenish the lost forestry cover.
He said: “Despite efforts to plant trees, Mzimba forests such as Perekezi continue to face growing threat of deforestation through logs, timber and charcoal.
“As such, we need to plant trees and take care of them to ensure their survival. We should also avoid deforestation to consolidate the gains.”
Soko urged traditional leaders to establish woodlots to prevent community members from poaching protected reserves.
“We also need by-laws to protect trees that remain in our forests,” he said.
Mzimba is one of the districts that have thick forests but charcoal makers and timber producers are threatening their survival.
The 2025/26 National Forestry Season was launched in December 2025 in Mchinji targeting to plant at least 41 million trees
