A one-day Participatory Forest Management (PFM) workshop and off-reserve management ended at Nkawie in the Atwima district on Monday.
The participants were drawn from the seven districts under the Nkawie forest district, comprising Atwima-Nwabiagya, Atwima-Mponua, Asutifi, Ahafo-Ano North and South, Amansie West and Bosomtwe-Atwima-Kwanwoma.
They included the District Chief Executives, presiding members, unit committee members, assembly members, forestry officials, stool landowners, community forest committees and traditional councils.
Addressing the participants, Mr Nelson Amelordzi, the Nkawie District Manager of the Forest Services Division of the Forestry Commission, said the Commission had introduced Participatory Forest Management so that all stakeholders would know how to be involved in the management of the forest.
He therefore, advised people living on the fringes of forest reserves to co-operate with all stakeholders to ensure a sustainable forest management.
In a resolution adopted at the end of the workshop, the participants deplored the indiscriminate felling of trees by illegal chainsaw operators and timbermen.
They noted that apart from wasting the trees, traditional councils, stool owners and the district assemblies were also losing revenue.
The participants therefore, appealed to the government to initiate steps, as a matter of urgency, to assist the Forestry Commission with adequate human and material resources to be able to manage the forest resources effectively.