100 chain saw machines seized over deforestation

In a move to further protect forest resources in Ghana the authorities have seized 100 chain saw machines from illegal operators in the Eastern Region.

This follows government ban against the use of chain saws in forests, Mr. Raphel Yeboah, Regional Forestry Manager said on Wednesday. He was speaking at a two-day meeting of District Forestry Managers at Akim Oda to discuss ways of improving their capacities to protect forest resources. Yeboah said they should intensify public education on the effects of forest depletion through illegal chain saw operations and bush fires.

Mr Francis Reuter, a Technical Advisor for the United Kingdom's Department for International Development (DFID), attached to the Ghana Forestry Commission stressed the need for a major re-forestation exercise.

He urged the District Managers to work hand in hand with contractors with permits to ensure that enough wood is supplied to the local market. This would help in reducing illegal chain saw operations.

The District Managers suggested that people living near forest reserves should be encouraged to establish plantations outside the zone. They also recommended that the seized machines should be destroyed in public to serve as a deterrent to other illegal operators.