Forests and farmlands in Western Region depleted of trees

Wassa Akropong, (W/R), Dec. 13, 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.