Forestry Commission arrests two people for illegally felling trees

The Forestry Commission has arrested two officials of Swiss Lumber Company and handed them over to the Asankrangwa Police for allegedly illegally felling trees in a closed compartment in the Bura River Forest Reserve in the Western Region.

They are Mr Adam Zigota, Bush Co-ordinator, and Mr Clement Addae, Forest Manager.

A statement issued by Mr Raphael Yeboah, Executive Director of Forest Services Division of Forestry Commission, and copied to GNA, said the company entered the forest reserve without authorisation, and illegally fell 89 trees.

The trees comprised 47 Mahogany, 12 Wawa, three Odum, four Edinam and six Kusia trees.

The rest are; five Ofram, four each of Emire and Efobrodedwo, two Baku and one each of Lovoa and Dahoma.

The statement said forestry officers whose areas of operational jurisdiction the offence was committed, have been subjected to the laid down disciplinary procedures of the Commission.

It said the Commission took a strong exception to the illegal felling of trees and would arrest and prosecute offenders and their collaborators, to safeguard the forest resource base.

Meanwhile, the Commission has placed an embargo on the evacuation or conveyance of trees abandoned in the forest by the company, until completion of investigations.**