PLANS to develop Nyungwe Forest Buffer Zone into a regional timber and furniture industry are at an advanced stage, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources.The 12,000ha (30,000 acres) of man-made plantations covered with pine, cypress, eucalyptus and acacia trees form the buffer zone plantation around and outside the Nyungwe National Forest in the southwest of the country.The buffer was leased out by government for 49 years to New Forest Company, a UK-based sustainable and socially responsible forestry firm.Most of the trees are ready for harvesting having been planted over 30 years ago, during the 1970s.Speaking to The New Times Wednesday, Stanislas Kamanzi, the Minister of Natural Resources, said NFC in partnership with Rwanda Development Bank (BRD) and Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB) will develop and properly manage the forested zone to make it more productive."The works delayed because we had first obliged NFC to seek local partners to invest in the buffer zone. Since they have agreed their partnership, works will start as soon as possible,” he said.Under the agreement, the RSSB and the BRD will be equal shareholders in the project."The decision is to cut down the plantation and replant it and add value to its production,” noted Kamanzi.The concession and lease agreement was signed in July 2011 in Kigali between Minister Kamanzi, and the NFC Group Chief Executive Officer, Julian Ozanne.During operation, the company will have access to 25,000 acres of mature planted timber from where an approximated 3 million tonnes of mature wood will be harvested.The UK firm plans to establish a series of processing plants to manufacture value added wood products for the construction industry; electricity transmission poles; and bio-energy – both for the local and the regional market.Rwanda is the forth country from where the company will operate as it has operations in Uganda, Tanzania and Mozambique.