Latest update January 20th, 2025 4:00 AM
Ghana’s forestry team in Guyana to learn about chainsaw milling
Guyana’s efforts to protect and preserve its forests have attracted
Forestry officials from Ghana meet Forestry Minister, Robert Persaud.
international attention with seven officials from Ghana visiting to learn about chainsaw milling.
Yesterday, the group which included two officials and Ghana’s Forestry Commission and the rest from the private sector yesterday flew over a part of the country’s forests during a trip to the Kaieteur Falls.
According to Godfrey Marshall, Director of the Forestry Training Center, the group is here to learn specifically of Guyana’s Chainsaw Milling Project which several local communities are involved in.
With chainsaw logging still illegal in Ghana, the officials are here to see firsthand how Guyana is tackling the issue.
Yesterday, the officials met with Minister in charge of Forestry, Robert Persaud, who disclosed that Guyana has moved in 2007 to introduce the chainsaw milling project after problems with illegal logging.
Some 62 community organizations were formed as a result with systems put in place, including allocation of forestry concessions to ensure logs were harvested legally.
According to Persaud, Government is mindful that while no illegality can be tolerated, there was the issue of economic fallout, had chainsaw logging been totally stopped. Hundreds of families and scores of communities depend on logging for a livelihood.
An example of logging groups from Kwakwani, Region 10, was cited where a group of loggers are turning over almost US$1.3M annually.
In Guyana, small loggers are contributing almost 20 percent, or a fifth of the lumber harvested, the Minister disclosed.
Against this is the fact that Guyana has to meet international standards especially with the US and Europe with new requirements mandating that illegal logging must be drastically reduced and checks and balances in place.
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