Lira district has a total of gazetted area of 1001 hectares categorised under the following:
Savannah woodland 52ha
Poles and fuel plantation 469ha
Timber Plantation 13ha
Central forest reserves cover 708 ha, while local forest reserves cover 293ha. There are 2 Gazzetted Central Forest Reserves in the district. These reserves have remained unattended to for over 20 years. Their boundaries have become unclear following long period of disturbance mainly by encroachment for agricultural purposes and even settlement by displaced people.
The district has also 4 local forest reserves in the district. Most of them are badly encroached to about 90%, furthermore, there exist, large forested areas which are not gazetted and of which the number of hectares is not known.
There are seven major nurseries and numerous smaller ones established by farmers. The district has over 10 licensed timber dealers, the majorities are illegal dealers.

POCC Analysis
Potentials
– Enough qualified personnel in the district, communities already aware of dangers of loss of tree cover/resources
– Several members of the communities, groups and individuals have taken up tree planting and tree nursery management as income generating activities.
– Readily available market for seedlings and tree crops both within and outside the district
– Enough Political will is available
– Establishment of district forest service with all functions decentralized
– Presence of Farm Income Enhancement and Forestry Conservation Project in the district to boost farmers’ effort in tree farming and forestry conservation
Opportunities
– Several NGOs, CBOs have come up to supplement sub-sector activities
– Presence of a number of training institutions which could train communities
– Increased awareness on threats of environment degradation
– Enough land for tree planting in the rural areas and forest reserves
– Threat of global climatic change and the need to combat it
– Looming fuel wood crisis and the need to provide enough wood biomass for cooking
Challenges
– Lack of commitment to tree planting by the local communities
– Lack of funds to implement planned activities under the forest sector
– Poor facilitation of sub-sector staff leading to loss of morale and work commitment
– Unlicensed, illegal exploiters of timber can operate without punishment.
– Weak arrangement for collection of revenue from forest produces
Constraints
– High level of loss of tree/vegetation covers due to farming, charcoal burning and encroachment
– Poor methods of cooking which are wasteful to fuel wood
– Political interference on management of gazetted areas
– Loss of soil fertility often causing poor crop yields.
– unpredictable weather which sometimes cause poor establishment of tree crops
– Presence of diseases and pests that damage trees and forest crops