Longuza Forest Plantation is situated in North Eastern part of Tanzania-Tanga Region between latitudes 4º55’ and 5º10’ South and Longitudes 38º 40’ and 390 00’ East. The forest plantation is accessed by weather and/or morrumed (earth roads) road branching from Segera-Tanga road at Maguzoni area 4km to Kwamsambia range and 17km at Muheza town to Amani. Also the forest is 52 kms from Tanga port on the foothills of the East Usambara Mountains (Amani Nature Reserve) and part of the Eastern Arc Mountains. Longuza Forest Reserve lies at altitudes between 160 and 560 meters above sea level (m. a. s. l.). The other block (KOLEKOLE FOREST RESERVE) is in Tanga district 14km Muheza-Tanga road) west from Pongwe Town.
Longuza Forest Plantation being on the outskirts of the town and city plays an important role in the form of provision of wood and non-wood forest products and services. It is the major source of Teak product Logs).
126.96.36.199 LONGUZA RANGE, KIHUHWI SIGI RANGE and KIHUHWI RANGE
In 1952, the Colonial Government decide to establish Longuza Forest Plantation as a gap planting activity to replace the exploited species in the Natural Forest. As time went on (1960) the supply of timber from natural species and gap planted could not produce sufficient wood material to satisfy the rapidly increasing local and export wood demands.
Because of the performance shown in trial plot, in1961 the Forest Department was forced to drop the idea of gap planting and replace it with the fast growing hardwood species like Teak. This has come just after the time when the observation from Kihuhwi teak stand with 31.6 Ha planted 1906 have high survival and high volume production. Kihuhwi block has been established by use of punished labourers who had committed offence in the sisal estates. The annual target in1961 was to plant 400 Ha of Teak and 60 Ha of other hardwood species.
However, the idea did no workout satisfactory due to some problems based on financial, personnel and labourers’ position. The other setback faced by the project 1988-89 was the government rules which has instructed not to clear any more natural forest and replace it with exotic hardwood species although today in allowed expansion area it does not work. The remaining area was declared as water catchment area and Natural forest area.
From 1961 to 2013, about 1804.2 ha of forest plantations have been planted with various hardwood species including Teak (98.2%), and other species (Terminalia spp,Cedrella spp and Melicia excelsa is about 1.41%, and open area once planted but now need replanting (0.35%). This has been shown clearly according to species and area distribution (Table 17).
For Longuza Forest Plantation there is a total area of about 200ha mainly bushes which have been set aside for plantation extension site.
188.8.131.52 KOLEKOLE RANGE
Kolekole forest reserve was used as Farm for food crops production before announced as Forest reserve in 1958. In 1977/1978 the plantation was established with different tree species such as Teak, Senna siamea, Eucalyptus sp and Cassuarina spp. The aim was to save Tanga and other villagers around with fuel wood and building` poles. Unfortunately, in 1986 the trees (Teak) was attacked by disease (dieback) and thus it was sold to sawmill industries for timber production. Then the plantation was left without any treatment and thus coppices covers the area meanwhile this has led to poor crop and scatted trees in the area. Total area of 16
Kolekole forest reserve is 300ha of which 100ha was planted with exotic species and the remaining area was left as natural forest. This will now termed as expansion area.