The Ahafo Regional Manager of the Forestry Commission, Rev. Edward Opoku Antwi, has called for military support to strengthen efforts to protect forest reserves from illegal activities in the region.
Speaking in an interview with Adom News in Goaso during a sensitisation and tree-planting exercise to mark this year’s Tree for Life initiative, Rev. Opoku Antwi said illegal logging and chainsaw operations continue to pose a major threat to the region’s forest reserves.
According to him, many of the individuals involved in these illegal activities are heavily armed, making it difficult for the Forestry Commission’s rapid response team to effectively confront them.
“There is no way our rapid response team can successfully face these people, who are armed with sophisticated weapons. If the government wants to effectively protect our forest reserves, then military support is necessary,” he stated.
Rev. Opoku Antwi disclosed that the Ahafo Region aims to plant 1.4 million trees under this year’s Tree for Life initiative, which will run from now until September 30, 2026.
The Saamanhene of Kenyasi No. 1, Nana Anim Dankwah, who represented the Paramount Chief and chaired the event, urged timber contractors in the region to strictly comply with Forestry Commission regulations regarding tree harvesting to ensure the sustainability of forest reserves.
Meanwhile, the Goaso District Manager of the Forestry Commission, Emmanuel Anim Brew, told Adom News that measures have been put in place to ensure that trees planted under the initiative are properly protected and nurtured in homes, farms and forest reserves.
He said the measures are intended to guarantee value for money and improve the long-term success of the Tree for Life programme.
