|
PSI on tree planting covers 120,000
hectares
Juaso (Ash), Sept 20, Ghanadot/GNA - Six years after
President J.A. Kufuor launched the President's Special
Initiative on Tree Plantation in an effort to replenish the
nation's depleted forest reserves, about 120,000 hectares
have so far been covered.
Mr Bright Manso-Howard, Asante-Akim District Forest Manager
of the Forests Services Division (FSD), disclosed this at
the district launch of the Greening Ghana Initiative (GGI)
at Juaso in the Asante-Akim South District on Tuesday.
The GGI, which is being spearheaded by the Environmental
Concerned Citizens Association of Ghana (ECCAG) in
collaboration with the Ministries of Mines, Lands and
Forestry as well as Local Government, rural Development and
Environment, seeks to promote tree planting among Ghanaians.
According to Mr Manso-Howard, human activities and wildfires
had over the years, been a major threat to forest resources,
adding that, the nation lost 97.72 million dollars in
revenue through wildfire in 1984 alone.
"Currently the average annual loss of revenue from timber to
fire is estimated at 24 million dollars and could even be
more since approximately half of wildfires in Ghana go
unreported", he added.
The Forest Manager further revealed that the Juaso Forest
District had so far reforested a total of 3,821 hectare of
land with trees, creating 15,300 jobs in the process in the
district.
He urged all stakeholders not only to partake in the
planting of trees but also take proper care of them to reach
maturity in order to serve the needed environmental
purposes.
Dr Lord Justice Gyamfi-Fenteng, District Chief Executive,
expressed grave concern about the increasing environmental
pollution and degradation through human activities, saying
only attitudinal change could reverse the trend.
He said the rate at which illegal chainsaw operators were
depleting forest reserves was devastating and required
stringent measures to nip the practice in the bud.
The DCE cautioned against the indiscriminate felling of
trees, which was prevalent in the district and urged
perpetrators to refrain from the practice since it was a
great disservice to posterity.
Mr Joseph Aidoo, National President of ECCAG, stressed the
essential role trees play in the environment and entreated
all to embrace the sensitisation campaign to avoid
preventable disasters.
He advocated effective collaboration between officials of
the Forest Services Division and communities around forest
services to combat illegal chainsaw operation.
GNA
|
