What is tree plantation insurance?
Tree plantation insurance is agricultural insurance for trees that take years to pay back: commercial woodlots, fruit orchards such as avocado and macadamia, natural forest and tree nurseries. It covers fire, lightning, windstorm, flood and hail on a value agreed with a forestry specialist before cover starts.
What can be insured
Commercial woodlots
Eucalyptus, pine and cypress grown for timber, poles or fuel.
Fruit orchards
Avocado, macadamia, mango and citrus, insured as tree crops.
Tree nurseries
Seedlings and grafted stock before they go to the field.
Natural forest
Indigenous forest on private land, often for fire only.
Beehives
No Kenyan insurer we checked advertises bee-keeping cover. Ask us: we put apiaries to insurers on request.
How plantation cover works
Published forest covers insure commercial tree farms, fruit orchards, natural forests and tree nurseries against fire, lightning, windstorm, flood and hail, with the value of the trees agreed upfront with a forestry specialist.
Source: Kenyan insurers' forestry and crop pages, checked 18 October 2026
Damage by wild animals to crops or livestock is claimed from the County Wildlife Conservation and Compensation Committee, and no compensation is paid if the owner took no reasonable steps to protect them.
Fire is the main risk for timber; wind and hail matter most for fruit in flower or near harvest.
Fire only or wider cover?
| Fire (named peril) | Wider named perils | |
|---|---|---|
| Perils | Fire and lightning | Fire, lightning, windstorm, flood and hail |
| Suits | Timber woodlots far from harvest | Orchards and high-value plantations |
| Cost | Lower | Higher |
| Typical condition | Maintained fire breaks | Fire breaks plus records of tree numbers and age |
- Fire (named peril)
- Fire and lightning
- Wider named perils
- Fire, lightning, windstorm, flood and hail
- Fire (named peril)
- Timber woodlots far from harvest
- Wider named perils
- Orchards and high-value plantations
- Fire (named peril)
- Lower
- Wider named perils
- Higher
- Fire (named peril)
- Maintained fire breaks
- Wider named perils
- Fire breaks plus records of tree numbers and age
What insurers ask for
- Species, variety, planting year and number of trees per acre.
- A map or GPS points of each block.
- Your fire plan: fire breaks, water and who responds.
- Yields or sales records for orchards in production.
- Your ID and KRA PIN, or company documents.
Cutting fire risk, and the premium
- Clear fire breaks around and through each block before the dry season.
- Keep grass and undergrowth down between rows of young trees.
- Keep water, beaters and a phone list of neighbours ready from January to March and again from July to October.
- Agree a no-burning rule with neighbours and workers.
- Record every fire break inspection with a date and photo.
If trees are damaged
- Report quickly Call within 24 hours of a fire, storm or hail.
- Record the damage Photos, the blocks affected and, for fire, a police or fire report.
- Assessment The insurer's forestry assessor measures the loss against the agreed value.
- Settlement Payment of the assessed loss less any excess.
Frequently asked questions
What does tree plantation insurance cover?
It covers the value of growing trees against fire, lightning, windstorm, flood and hail. Commercial woodlots, fruit orchards, natural forest and tree nurseries can all be insured, with the tree value agreed before cover starts.
Can I insure an avocado or macadamia orchard?
Yes. Orchards are insured under forest or tree-crop cover, and some multi-peril crop policies list tree crops too. No insurer names avocado or macadamia specifically, so each orchard is underwritten on request: tell us the variety, tree age, spacing and acreage.
Can a tree nursery be insured?
Yes. Published forest covers include tree nurseries. Seedlings and grafted stock are valued at their cost or sale value, and shade nets and irrigation can be added under farm property cover.
Is bee-keeping insurance available in Kenya?
No Kenyan insurer we checked advertises cover for beehives or colonies. Ask us: hives and honey-processing equipment can sometimes be added to a farm property policy, and we will ask insurers about your apiary.
How is the value of trees agreed?
A forestry specialist or the insurer's surveyor assesses the trees by species, age, stocking and expected timber or fruit value, and you agree the figure before cover starts. That agreed value is what a total loss pays.
How much does plantation insurance cost?
No Kenyan insurer publishes a forestry rate. The premium depends on the agreed tree value, the perils chosen, fire breaks and your fire plan. The published crop band of 4.5% to 15% is a rough upper guide for multi-peril cover; fire-only cover costs less.
Is drought covered for avocado or macadamia trees?
Not under a standard forest cover, which is named-peril (fire, lightning, windstorm, flood, hail). Drought can sometimes be added for orchards in production under a multi-peril crop policy, after a farm visit and a look at your irrigation. Irrigated orchards are not covered for drought at all, because the water supply is in your hands.
What does tree and orchard insurance not cover?
Common exclusions are:
- Pests, termites and tree diseases (most forest covers are named-peril)
- Drought, unless added as a named peril
- Theft of timber or fruit
- Damage by livestock or wildlife
- Fires you started for land clearing
Keep fire breaks clear and record the dates: insurers check them after a fire.
Years of growth, one fire away
Tell us what you grow, the acreage and the county. We arrange the valuation and compare insurers.
Licensed by IRA · No obligation · We reply within 1 hour
Sources (3)
- Kenyan insurers' forestry and crop pages, checked 18 October 2026
- Wildlife Conservation and Management Act 2013, s.25
- Kenyan insurers' agriculture pages, checked 18 October 2026
Facts and published prices checked 18 Oct 2026; last reviewed October 2026 by Naveah Capital. Rates shown are published bands, scheme figures and market estimates before levies, not a quote or a promise. Naveah Capital Insurance Agency is an IRA-licensed insurance agency in Nairobi; this page is general information, and your policy wording decides your cover.
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