Two phenomena are to be distinguished however, the excision of forestlands for agricultural reasons, and the degradation of forests for commercial reasons. Large-scale logging exists in Kenya today more than ever before, despite a presidential ban issued in 1986. Camphor and cedar trees in the indigenous forest surrounding Mount Kenya are particularly affected. It is excessively difficult to monitor the scale of deforestation in the country. The latest available figures, published in 1994 by the Kenya Forestry Master Plan, mention 5,000 hectares of forest excised on a yearly basis.
Deforestation affects wooded areas in grasslands regions as well as close canopy forests.
However the consequences of its destruction on the environment are far greater in the latter case. In recent months, the destruction of forest has increased due to the ongoing drought in the country. Forest resources have been increasingly exploited as people have turned to alternative means of income by transforming wood into charcoal or selling it as timber. The consequences of the depletion of Kenya's forest resources range from an increased risk of drought to damage to the economy. Close canopy forests have a crucial role as water catchments.