Ghana-Forests Rawlings Launches National Forestry Week
7/18/98
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Title: Ghana-Forests Rawlings Launches National Forestry Week
Source: PANA via CNN
Status: Copyrighted, contact source to reprint
Date: 7/18/98
Byline: Lucien Minko, PANA Staff Correspondent
OFFINSO, Ghana (PANA, 07/18/98) - President Jerry Rawlings announced a
23 million-dollar programme Friday, to provide assistance for those
wishing to go into commercial timber plantation in Ghana, as part of
efforts being made by the west African state to conserve its forests.
Under the programme, investors would be assisted to have easier access
to land and adequate supply of certified seeds on a sustainable basis
and the technical skills of investors.
Launching the third National Forestry Week in the southern town of
Offinso-Ashanti, Rawlings said the programme had become necessary
because of the constraints private growers face.
"These drawbacks inhibit successful promotion of plantation
development as a profitable productive activity."
The Week, instituted three years ago, is to draw attention to the
nation's dwindling forests and the need to protect them and grow more
trees.
The theme for the celebration is "Conserve The Forest, Grow more
Trees, Save our Land".
Rawlings said the government has placed before Parliament, a Timber
Resources Management Regulations Bill, aimed at operationalising the
Timber Resources Management Act of
1997.
The regulations have for the first time introduced forest management
charges and consolidated existing forest fees into a stumpage fee.
This means that resource users will now have to contribute to the cost
of managing the resource and pay for the economic value of the trees.
The regulations will also require timber operations to embark on tree
planting as a pre-condition for the award of timber utilisation
contracts.
"The overall aim of the regulations therefore is to ensure the
sustainable utilisation and management of the forest resources of this
country," he said.
Rawlings said he hopes the regulations would be given the necessary
support to enable the Government bring sanity, discipline and
efficiency into the timber industry.
He said by these measures, the government hopes to reduce pressure on
the natural forests by increasing supply of forest products from
commercial plantation sources within the next 20 years.
The strategy is to build on the success of current tree growing
programmes and to expand and sustain the activity on a long-term
basis.
Rawlings said Offinso was chosen for this year's celebration because
of its location in the vulnerable transitional zone and the
involvement of the people in forest management.
The district, which was once rich in forests resources, has suffered
considerable depletion but the people have taken up the challenge to
curb it through re-afforestation.
"The achievements are worthy of praise and we hope our presence here
today will boost your morale and also encourage other communities to
work harder towards the rehabilitation of our environment," he said.
c 1998 Cable News Network, Inc.