One of the seized trucks
ABOUT 30,000 pieces of illegal lumber loaded onto 21 trucks being smuggled to the northern parts of the country has been impounded by the Bono Regional Timber Taskforce of the Forestry Commission and currently being held at the compound of the commission in the Region.
Regional Manager of the commission, Augustine Gyadu, revealed this to the press.
According to him, since one of their forest guards was kidnapped during an operation in Asukese Forest Reserve going into the forest has become dangerous hence the adoption of a new strategy to arrest trucks loaded with lumber on the highways to check their propriety.
‘This has been successful and resulted in the arrest of 21 trucks loaded with illegal lumbers.
Out of the 21, 11 have been found to be without requisite documents covering the lumber while the remaining 10 have documents but either under declared the quantity or lied about the type of lumber species loaded on it.
“Only few have papers and even that the papers do not match the species. Some of them are different species but the documents say Wawa. Some are 2000 but the document cover only 1000. Depending on the types of trucks and quantities of lumber each contained, they shall be fined between, GH¢1,500 and GH¢10,000,” he said.
“We are taking our time to offload all and those who are found to have exceeded the limit the excess shall be confiscated while those who have no documents covering them shall be charged and prosecuted at the court,” he added.
Mr. Gyadu emphasized the commission has obtained court order to dispose of the seized lumber to the public.
According to him, the operation started a month ago and shall continue unabated adding, ‘this is just phase one’. He, therefore, warned those planning to embark on such illegal lumbering to desist from it.
“The court has given order to sell part of the confiscated lumber to the public while we donate some to the Bono Regional Coordinating Council to help construct desks for schools that are lacking desks and the rest to the Ghana Sports Authority to use for its sports projects in the region.
In addition to our new operation we shall still go into the forest to combat the menace which is depleting the forests,” he added.
The Bono Regional Forest boss asked members of the public who are interested in buying some of the seized lumbers to apply for it.
Bono Regional Minister, Justina Awo Owusu Banahene who witnessed the press conference on her part urged all well meaning residents who care about the welfare of the state to give information to combat the illegal logging.
“It is destroying the forests. Bono Region used to be forest zone but due to illegal logging all the forest cover is gone giving way to grasslands. This is unacceptable; it has affected rainfall pattern and food production in the region.
She indicated, “what is the essence of engaging in Green Ghana day where trees are planted which take several years to mature only for some unscrupulous and selfish people to take few days to destroy.
I call on all of you to help protect the forests. She further pleads with persons who are interested in doing timber business to acquire requsit permits and engage in orderly timber logging,” she said.
Bono Regional Commander of the Timber Industry Development Division (TIDD) Kofi Bonso Aban who is part of the operation explained to the paper the trucks were heading from Goaso, Dormaa Ahenkro, Asenkregua, Setwi -Awaso and have been arrested in Sunyani.
FROM Daniel Y. Dayee, Sunyani