National forest cover: Forests and woodlands cover approximately 4.9 million hectares in Uganda, about 24% of the total land area. The vast majority of this is woodland, while the
remainder is tropical high forest and forestry plantations (Figure 1, Table 1). The Permanent Forest Estate: about 1.9 million hectares is currently included in the Permanent
Forest Estate (PFE). This includes all Forest Reserve land and all forested areas in the National Parks and Wildlife Reserves (Table 1). The PFE represents about 9% of the total land area of
Uganda. These areas are set aside permanently for the conservation of biodiversity, the protection of environmental services, and the sustainable production of domestic and commercial
forest produce. Half of the PFE is made up of the gazetted Central and Local Forest Reserves, land that is held in trust and managed by the Forestry Department and Local Authorities. The
other half includes the forested areas of National Parks and Wildlife Reserves, land held in trust and managed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (hereafter referred to as government land)
(Figure 2).
From 1934 to the early 1970s, the PFE was well managed by the Forestry Department under carefully prepared forest management plans. This led to an enviable international reputation for
some of the best forest management practices in tropical forestry. However, in recent years the Forestry Department has been unable to maintain this position.