Close canopy forests have a crucial role as water catchments. If the forest is damaged, there will be increasing risks of flood during the rainy season and of drought during the dry season. This is particularly true as a consequence of deforestation in the mountainous regions of Mount Kenya, the Aberdare range, the Mau escarpment, Mount Elgon and the Cherangani hills. Alone, these amount to three-quarters of the total of indigenous forests in Kenya, and provide much of the nation's water, highlighting the forests' role as water catchments. The consequences may equally be felt on tea production in the region surrounding Mount Kenya and the Mau escarpment.
Forests serve to reduce the gap of temperatures between night and day.
The consequences are potentially huge for tea growers as temperatures at night risk falling below zero Celsius. The extensive destruction further manifests negative long-term impacts such as disrupting wildlife habitat and destroying biodiversity. In turn these would lead to impaired tourism development. While savannas are home to the more familiar wildlife species that attract tourists, forest ecosystems provide the habitat for a large proportion of the country's biological diversity. Individual farms have been planting wood for their own needs, while bigger farms have planted wood for commercial purposes.