Future of Timber Industry in Danger

The future of the country's timber industry looks gloomy as painstaking findings by The Chronicle has revealed what can be described as wanton destruction of young timber species by farmers in the rural communities of the Ahafo Ano South and North districts.

The destruction of the young species is a deliberate action by the farmers in their bid to avoid the possible future destruction of their farms by chainsaw operators and timber firms.

Before now, the farmers had allowed timber species to grow in their farms without getting rid of them in the course of weeding their farms.

Presently, young trees found to be timber species are cleared on sight while slightly grown ones that cannot be easily cut down with the cutlass are set ablaze on fire.

The most affected species are Odum, Wawa, Framo, Sapele and Mahogany which incidentally are also the most important and known timber species in the country at the moment.

Though most community leaders who were contacted expressed their concern about the stand taken by the farmers, most farmers who were interviewed would not accept any wrongdoing.

According to farmers at Asenchem and Nyamebekyere in the Ahafo Ano North and South districts respectively, a greater percentage of timber species that are being patronized by timber firms and chainsaw operators are found in their cocoa and food crop farms.

They contend that the presence of the timber species in their farms is a recipe for the perennial destruction of their farms by those in the timber business who usually see them (farmers) as people not worthy of being compensated.

The chief and people of Asenchem complained to Chronicle how one Mr. Appiah based at Tepa and another man who they referred to as 'So-man' based at Abonsuaso, both in the Ahafo Ano North district are destroying their farms and feeder road which they weed twice every year, without any compensation.

According to the chief of the town, Nana Kwabena Ogyam, several attempts to get Mr. Appiah to his palace to react to the complaints were not successful, while he continued with his operation and sometimes threatened to beat up some farmers who tried to restrain him.

When this reporter managed to contact Mr. Appiah, he found it unnecessary to respond to questions aimed at ascertaining the genuiness of his operations at Asenchem and the surrounding areas.

"I wont tell you the name of my timber firm, but I have the permit to fell trees in the area and I have nothing to do with the people of Asenchem," Mr. Appiah told Chronicle.

Enquiries at the Forestry commission have however, revealed that Mr. Appiah and 'So-man' are illegally exploiting timber in the area.

The biggest problem of the farmers, as they stated in their response to Chronicle's queries is their inability to restrain timber firms from operating in their farms.

According to them, they are always told by the officials of timber firms whose operations are legal or otherwise that they (farmers) do not own the trees and so cannot prevent one from felling them.

The farmers appealed to the authorities of the two district assemblies and the government to enact a law that will empower them to always restrain timber firms from operating in the farms until their work permits are proved beyond reasonable doubts.

They have warned that until the government comes out with a massive intervention to check the excessive destruction of farms by timber contractors and chainsaw operators, the destruction of young timber species in their farms will have to continue.