The national pride
* Over 20,000 cedar trees planted since 2017
* Mulanje Cedar is a national pride
By Sam Majamanda, MANA
Environmental conservation clubs around Mulanje Mountain are set to create a thick forest reserve of the Mulanje Cedar (Widdringtonia Whytei) on Mulanje Mountain by the end of 2024 to grow and restore the cedar plantation.
Preparation of the nurseries
The clubs, that are operating on voluntary basis, started raising cedar nurseries and planting trees seedlings in some parts of the mountain from 2017 and have since planted over 20,000 cedar trees on the mountain in a drive to create cedar plantation.
Patron for Chenamu Conservation Club, Macford Namalamba said the main aim of raising cedar trees is to show Malawians that Mulanje Cedar can be planted as opposed to the popular belief that the cedar grows on its own on Mulanje Mountain.
“Cedar is a very important species in Malawi because it’s our national pride. Surprisingly there is little effort in replenishing it at this time when it has been plundered badly,” Namalamba said.
Chenamu Conservation Club started planting cedar on the mountain to conserve the national tree and Namalamba said it is pleasing many clubs have joined the effort to establish a thick cedar forest by 2024.
Mulanje Cedar is a durable soft wood that resists rotting and termites’ damage for a very long time, making it the most wanted product for construction across the globe.
For years it has been believed that Mulanje cedar is planted only by the hand of God, a belief that prevented communities never to replant it on Mulanje Mountain amidst continued illegal harvesting of the remaining species over the years.
It is widely poached
Environmental Education and Communications Officer for Mulanje Mountain Conservation Trust (MMCT), Kondwani Chamwala commended Chenamu Conservation Club for its efforts, saying more of such dedicated citizens are needed if the national tree is to be saved from complete extinction.
Chamwala called on Malawians to emulate the example of the conservation club, saying it is the responsibility of everyone to participate in afforestation and conserving Mulanje cedar since the species is a pride of Malawi.
Chenamu and other conservation clubs continue to plant Mulanje cedar in designated parts of Mulanje Mountain as part of the 2020/21 national tree planting season.
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