Mpigi — Mpigi District authorities and the National Forest Authority are involved in a war of words over the escalating degradation of natural forests in the district.

The district and the NFA officials are accusing each other of damaging the natural forests.District Forest Officer Polly Birakwate told the press on Thursday that NFA allocated plots to farmers for tree planting but the farmers have instead cleared the forests.

"Instead of planting trees as their permits indicate, farmers picked interest in mature trees which they are cutting for timber and firewood," Mr Birakwate said.

According to Mr Birakwate, the district has 39-gazetted forests of which 33 are national forests being monitored by NFA and six local forests under district supervision.

He added that the national and local forests cover 30,000 and 323 hectares respectively. However, NFA officials, who talked to Daily Monitor denied the allegations and instead pinned the district for issuing timber cutting and transportation permits to residents.

NFA public relations manager Moses Watasa said he was not aware of any case where people got plots and started cutting trees. However, Mr Watasa admitted that some people who received plots instead turned them into gardens.

"NFA only gave away areas that were greatly degraded in order to replace the damaged parts but currently all permits were recalled for review," Mr Watasa said.

Meanwhile, NFA range manager Stephen Galima said in a separate interview that the district was primarily responsible for the degradation.

He said district officials' issue permits to residents for firewood and timber. "Almost all people we find illegally cutting trees in those forests have permits of tree cutting in private forests," he said.