Workshop on chainsaw operation to be organised

Techiman (B/A) March 21, GNA - A one-day workshop on the effect of the ban on chainsaw operations by the government under the 1998 Legislative Instrument (LI 1649) as amended by the Timber Resource Management Amendment Regulations, 2003 (LI 1721) is to be held in Techiman on March 28, 2006.

The workshop would bring together 100 participants from Wenchi and Nkoranza districts and Techiman Municipality, made up of the police and fire service personnel, Ministry of Food and Agricultural staff, Forestry division, Chainsaw operators, Carpenters, building contractors, wood sellers, traditional rulers, farmers, assembly members as well as unit committees and stakeholders in forest management. Organised by the Forikrom Afforestation Volunteers (FAV) and to be sponsored by Centre for Indigenous Knowledge of Organizational Development (CIKOD) would dwell on topics such as respondents knowledge on the legal ban on chainsaw and community access and utilization of timber, among others.

Nana Kwao Adams, Twafohene of Forikrom and Board Chairman of PAV who disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said the objective of the workshop was to gather facts on the weaknesses the government legislative ban on chainsaw and the indirect negative consequences the ban has had non the major effects towards fares, preservation, rural communities and development process of the country.

Nana Adams noted that as part of the measures to streamline the preservation of Forestry Resources and Effective Utilisation of Timber in Ghana, the Government had outlawed chainsaw operations in the country.

Nana Adams indicated that a pre-requisite component of the law should have been the establishment of more sawmills throughout the country and a percentage of sawn boards to be sold to the public adding that most districts lacked wood milling factories to supply these sawn boards.

The board chairman regretted that the conduct of the regulations of sub-section 17 of (LI 1721) of 2003 that prohibits sthe use of chainsaw to convert timber into lumber for sale and that most Ghanaians were guilty of the law since such activities were still going to throughout the country.

Nana Adams said the law, which explicitly states that no person shall use a chainsaw whether registered or unregistered, to convert timber into lumber or other forest products for sale, exchange or any commercial purposes "but this had been violated by many stakeholders and policy-makers". Nana Adams therefore, suggested to the government to regulate the law.