Concern about depletion of the forest

Kumasi, Feb. 28, GNA- The Ashanti Regional branch of the Woodworkers Association of Ghana (WAG), has decried the alarming rate at which the country's forests were being depleted. The development, they said, had in recent time deprived small-scale wood and furniture makers of the needed lumber to work with as most tree species were getting scarce on the local retail market. Mr. Reynolds Debrah, Regional Chairman of WAG, speaking on behalf of the group, said these at a press conference in Kumasi on Wednesday. He said the systematic depletion of the forest could eventually lead to the collapse of the wood industry if stringent measures were not instituted to address the problem.

Mr Debrah urged the Timber Industry Development Division (TIDD) of the Forestry Commission to organise more workshops on investment in forest plantation for stakeholders in the wood industry. This, he said, would help in the reclamation of depleted forests and the conservation of the eco-system and bio-diversity. Mr Debrah stressed the need to organize regular seminars for woodworkers to improve their skills and knowledge.