Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Lands, Forestry and Natural Resources, Mr. Gershon Kofi Bediako Gbadiame, has called for the introduction of stiffer punishment for illegal chainsaw operators as their activities were creating dangerous environmental problems in the country.

"That is the only way that the country’s forests could be protected to serve as a source of livelihood and to generate income for development projects". 

Mr. Gbadiame who was speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Sogakope during an oil and gas workshop
suggested that such illegal chainsaw operators should rather be given governmental orientations to form brigades.

"Such brigades should be charged to learn the planting of economic tress for their commercial activities rather than depleting the forests and economic trees all over the country for their selfish gains". 

He challenged District, Municipal and Metropolitan Assemblies to enact and implement by-laws that could unleash stiffer punishment on culprits to deter other people from engaging in what he described as ’unhealthy environmental practices’. 

Mr. Gbadiame encouraged them to engage in the planting of acacia, teak and mahogany which could easily be nursed to serve their domestic lumber activities rather than destroying economic trees for lumber and charcoal.

"The most painful aspect of their activities is that there is often a lot of waste from the felling of trees to the finishing level, unlike the accredited sawmill companies who economize their products at all levels," he lamented. 

He appealed to the Ministries of Environment, Lands, Forests and Natural Resources, Food and Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency to hold a round table discussion to come out with concrete policies that could help them enact by-laws to achieve their set goals.

DS