Mbeere North residents living around the Kiangombe and Kianjiru forests are set to plant over 5 million indigenous trees in the coming rainy season.
The local community forest association on Wednesday partnered with the county government and the Kenya Forest Service for the drive.
Some 50,000 acres of the two forests will be reforested.
The residents said they will also embark on beekeeping within the forests to enable them to monitor the tree seedlings.
County executive for Lands Josphat Kithumbu said that different partners had agreed to restore forests which had been destroyed by charcoal burners.
"We have the KFS and the Japenese International Cooperation Agency to support us in reforesting the two forests through a participatory management plan," he said.
Kithumbu said the purpose of the exercise was to contribute to the 10 per cent forest cover targeted by the government by 2022.
"It will also provide a livelihood for the local community who will be establishing beehives in the two forests," he said.
Deputy chief forest conservator, Charity Munyasia said that KFS will give technical advice on forest conservation.
She said KFS will provide the 5 million tree seedlings and ensure they are planted in the two forests by the end of the year.
However, Munyasia noted that the two forests have not been encroached on and therefore there will be no evictions there.
"Initially, there was human activity in the forests but after talks with the community, they stopped. We have no people living in the forests now," she said.
Community forest association chairman Njiru Ndugire said the residents are determined to guard the two forests.
"We have been allowed to keep beehives in the forest after planting the trees. This is beneficial and we will protect the two forest like our lands," Ndugire said.
The KFS urged locals to avoid cutting down trees for charcoal burning and timber harvesting.
