Cypress, Grevillea, Teak and Musizi for Sale

Is there a market for cypress trees?

There is a use for cypress, and growers do sell it, but we could not find a public price list or a published buyer list for it. What can be sourced is what the tree is, where it grows and what it is used for. The World Agroforestry (ICRAF) record for Cupressus lusitanica, the Mexican cypress, says it is a fast-growing tree widely used in East and Southern Africa, introduced to Uganda, and grown at 1,100 to 3,000 m. Its uses include firewood, poles, posts and timber for furniture and construction. The same record notes that it can produce poles after 10 years and general-purpose timber after 20 years, and that from 1990 it was severely attacked by the cypress aphid, though in Uganda the problem appeared less severe than in some neighbouring countries.

Altitude matters, so compare the altitude of any block with that range before assuming cypress will do well. In the national land-cover classes used by the National Biomass Database and the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), pine and cypress are grouped together as coniferous plantations, while eucalyptus, musizi, black wattle and Markhamia are grouped as broadleaved plantations. That tells you how official statistics see them, not what price each gets.

If you are looking at a block of cypress, ask for the age, the stocking per acre and photographs of the crowns. Yellowing or dry branches can point to aphid damage, which the ICRAF record describes. For the main species, see our guides to eucalyptus trees for sale in Uganda and pine trees for sale.

Which trees besides pine and eucalyptus sell well?

We cannot say which species "sells best", because we found no sourced sales data by species. We can set out the facts we can source. Treat the table as a starting point for questions to the seller, not as a ranking.

Grevillea deserves a special note. The ICRAF record places it as a boundary and avenue tree and advises against it in woodlots. A listing that offers a "grevillea plantation" is therefore worth a closer look: ask how many trees there are and whether they stand in blocks or along edges.

Musizi is a species the National Forestry Authority names in its plantation guidance. The NFA plantation guidelines page lists a guide titled "Growing Musizi for Timber" and another on "Other Species for Timber Production in Uganda". Cypress, teak and grevillea are not named on that page.

How fast do these trees grow, and what does that mean for the buyer?

Rotation is the time from planting to the final harvest. Shorter rotations return cash sooner but the product is smaller. The COTAP specification for Bushenyi gives a growth table for musizi in its optimum range: DBH of 10 cm at age 2, 25 cm at age 7, 30 cm at age 9, 40 cm at age 11 and 45 cm at age 13, with tree height reaching 22 m at age 13. DBH is diameter at breast height, 1.3 m above ground. These are project figures for good sites, so a block on poor soil will lag.

The teak record from Padibe sub-county, Lamwo District, is a single site established in 2012. It describes 1,100 seedlings per hectare at 3 m by 3 m, pruning from age 3, thinning at ages 5 and 9 to about 450 trees per hectare, and a 6 m fire line to split the plantation into compartments. It says wood from thinning is sold as firewood or construction poles to recover part of the cost, and that farmers plant teak on less productive land. Teak does not allow undergrowth, so livestock cannot be integrated, according to the same record. Use it as an example of one farmer's practice, not as a regional norm.

A buyer of standing trees should ask for the planting date, the thinning history and the next planned operation. A stand that has been thinned on schedule will often carry fewer but larger trees than one that has not.

How is a mixed-species plantation sold and valued?

Mixed plantations are sometimes sold as one lot. The sound way to value one is to treat each species as its own small forest. Count each species separately, measure sizes, assign each to a product (poles, sawlogs, firewood) and apply a separate dated price. Add the totals, then deduct the cost of harvesting each species, which differs. A single "price per acre" for a mixed block hides the fact that the pine, the cypress and the eucalyptus may have different ages and different buyers. Our guide to how to sell standing trees explains how a sale is put together.

EUCA Eco Consults, in August 2026, lists indigenous seedling prices (musizi, muvule and mahogany) of UGX 1,000 to 5,000 or more per plant. That is a seedling price, not a tree price. It shows only that indigenous species cost more to establish. EUCA gives no standing-block price per acre and says a standing block "must be measured".

As a buyer, insist on a species-by-species schedule in the contract. As a seller, make sure each species line has a count and a price basis, whether per tree, per cubic metre or per acre. The tax on sale of trees page explains why receipts should show what was sold.

What should I check before buying a lot of mixed or minor species?

• Ownership and right to harvest. The sale is of trees only. The land is not included, and the harvest deadline is negotiable with the seller. Read our list of checks before buying standing trees.
• Species and age by block. Ask for a map or a sketch showing which species stand where.
• Protected trees. Section 31 of the National Forestry and Tree Planting Act, 2003 allows the Minister or a District Council to declare particular trees on private land protected, and it is an offence to cut or sell part of a protected tree without written consent. Ask the District Forest Officer whether any tree in the lot is protected.
• Market. A species with no nearby buyer may cost more to haul than it earns. Ask the seller who has bought from the area before.
• Pest and disease signs. Aphid damage on cypress is documented by ICRAF. Ask a forester to look.

To see a lot in person, book an escorted forest visit. You can also browse forest and tree listings, though none are published yet as of 3 November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

• Forest Trees for Sale in Uganda: Standing Pine and Eucalyptus
• Eucalyptus Trees for Sale in Uganda: Buyer's Guide
• Pine Trees for Sale in Uganda: Plantations and Sawlogs
• Tax on Selling Trees in Uganda
• How to Sell Standing Trees in Uganda: Seller's Guide
• Buying Standing Trees: 10 Checks Before You Pay