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Forests and farmlands in Western
Region depleted of trees
Wassa Akropong, (W/R), Dec. 13, Ghanadot/GNA - Mrs Lydia
Opoku, Assistant Western Regional Forestry Manager, has
expressed great concern about the rate at which forests and
farmlands in the Region were been depleted of trees through
illegal chainsaw operations.
“The chainsaw operations have become a major problem in the
Region”, she said.
Mrs Opoku, who was speaking at the handing-over of logosol
machines and accessories to six communities at a ceremony at
Wassa Akropong, said; “now the forests have been completely
depleted of trees like Dahoma, Mahogany and Sapele”.
The donation of the logosol machines, an advanced form of
chainsaw machines, formed part of the implementation of a
pilot project intended to give farmers communities and
traditional authorities direct monetary benefit from trees
on their farmlands.
Known as “Processing and utilization of trees on farmlands
and logging residues”, the project being implemented by the
Forest Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG), in collaboration
with Forestry Services Division (FSD) and the communities is
founded by International Tropical Timbers Organisation (ITTO)
based in Yokohama, Japan.
The Assistant Regional Forestry Manager said apart from the
chainsaw operations, farming activities were another source
of the depletion of the forests and farmlands.
Mrs Opoku said since the chainsaw operators operated at
night with offensive weapons and mobile phones, it had
become difficult for the Forestry Services Division to
monitor their activities.
She expressed regret that, the chainsaw operators were
simply wasting the trees since their recovery rate was about
only 17 per cent.
“That is why we in the FSD are satisfied with this new
project designed to make chainsaw activities unattractive to
farmers,’ she said.
Mrs Opoku appealed to farmers not only to be interested in
the project to develop the habit of replacing all trees
felled but also the protection of the remaining trees.
GNA
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