Review forestry policy to capture chain saw operations

Shama (W/R), July 10, GNA - Mr Samuel Kwabena Nketsia, Programme Team Leader of Tropenbos International-Ghana, said there was the need to review existing forestry policies and laws to regularise chain saw activities.

He said the non-regularisation of the chain saw operators had enabled them to freely harvest timber and other non-timber species from the forest without paying stumpage fees.

Mr Nketsia said these at the opening of a four-day training workshop for non-governmental organisations, community-based organisations at Shama on Monday.

It was organised by International Action for Development Initiatives (IADI) and the World Conservation Union (IUCN).

The training was aimed at equipping forest-fringed communities to accept and assist in protecting the forest resources, ensure equal share of forest benefits and the involvement of the local communities in the decision making process on forestry issues and implementation of policies.

He said though chain saw activities was classified as illegal, many government projects were undertaken with chain saw lumber. Mr Nketsia said though many chain saw operators wanted to pay stumpage fees, they could not do so, because the present law did not recognise them and this could facilitate corruption among stakeholders in the sector.

He said 3.7 million cubic metres of timber were harvested annually, instead of the allowable cut of one million cubic metres. Mr Nketsia said chain saw operations alone contributed 2.5 million to the total timber harvests.

He admitted that the activities of chain saw operators were wasteful but noted that, they could be assisted and monitored to cut down on the waste.

Mr Nketsia said the district assemblies could support such groups by installing small saw mills also known as bush mills to enable them work and pay the necessary taxes and fees. He stressed that the increasing timber and non-timber loses were as a result of population growth, migration and the increasing construction of new residential houses.

Ms. Emelia Arthur, Executive Director of IADI said the training would sharpen the skills of the forest-fringed communities to access the possible weakness in the forestry policy and law. The participants were also expected to serve as community rights advocates in protecting the reserves and its resources.