Forestry Research Institute of Malawi

Forestry Research Institute of Malawi is located in Zomba. The Forestry Research Institute of Malawi is a functional department of the Department of Forestry. The Department of Forestry section works within the Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and Environmental Affairs of Malawi. Forestry Research Institute of Malawi conducts most of the Malawi's research activities related to forestry.

The Forestry Research Institute of Malawi was first established as a Silvicultural Research Station in the year 1957. At that time Silvicultural Research Station was located in Dedza and it used to work under a council of those days namely the Agricultural Research Council of Central Africa.

Very few countries under the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region have an organized forestry research institution and the Republic of Malawi is one of them. Malawi is a Southern African developing country which confronts a great challenge in gaining factual information on the basis of which they could take active decisions related to forestry management. The main motto behind the forestry management mission of the Republic of Malawi is to gain better and reasonable income of the Malawian society. The Forestry Research Institute of Malawi conducts an ad-hoc type of research which can be carried without an appropriate planning, and on the other hand it also monitors forestry research, following the existing policy of Malawi.

The Forestry Research Institute of Malawi has framed a five year research program for 2002 to 2007 following the rule of the National Forestry Policy and National Forestry Plan. This kind of research work conducted by the Forestry Research Institute of Malawi is a demand oriented project.