The Ministry for Lands and Natural Resources has embarked on an inspection tour of Green Ghana seedlings on Wednesday, March 29th, 2023 at Shai Hills and its environs as part of a build-up of activities towards 2023, Green Ghana Day.
Leading the media and the team from the Ministry and the Forestry Commission staff on the field trip, Mr. Joseph Osiakwan, Technical Director for Forestry revealed that an initial 2,500 trees were planted in the Shai Resource Reserve, however due to weather conditions among others 50% of the seedlings survived whereas those of the Forest Reserve had a 74% survival rate for the 2022 tree planting exercise in the Shia Osudoku District.
At both Reserves, Mr. Joseph Osiakwan remarked that the growth of the seedlings is so encouraging but urged the Forestry officers to up their game as Green Ghana 2023 approaches.
He also urged the officers to actively involve the private plantation developers who he said are already willing not only to plant but also properly nurture the seedlings into trees, which is the main goal of the whole Green Ghana exercise.
He also disclosed that the district has been in contact with some private plantation developers who are ready and willing to nurture the seedlings into trees.
Furthermore, he assured the Ghanaian public that, all planting sites will be visited in the neighboring communities, districts, and regions before this year’s Green Ghana Day.
Mr. Osiakwan hoped that the District will do better than it did during the Green Ghana Project 2022 in terms of procuring seedlings for the upcoming Green Ghana Day.
Speaking at the Chipa Forest Reserve, Madam Winifred Ohene -Wiafe, the District Manager for Forestry Commission, explained that 52 compartments which are made up of about 32 hectares of Land saw the planting of a total of 5,500 seedlings on five (5) hectares.
She disclosed that depending on the seedling type, some of their growth levels take time, naming the Mahogany seedlings as an example.
“The purpose of tree planting serves as a buffer when the reconstruction begins which will be a boundary to protect and serve its purpose” according to the Park Manager, Mr. Prince Anane Agyei.
The plantation is said to have in-store seedlings such as Acacia, Mahogany, and Cassia among others this year.
