Mr Bernard Tabil, the Oti Regional Manager of the Forestry Commission, has appealed to the indigens including traditional leaders to stop indiscriminate setting of bushfires during this dry season to protect the ‘tree for life’ afforestation project in the region.
He emphasised that uncontrolled bush burning did not only destroy newly planted seedlings but also undermined national efforts to restore degraded lands, fight climate change, and improve environmental sustainability.
Mr Tabil speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency during a stakeholders’ engagement said bush fires had historically been a major threat to tree planting and forest regeneration, causing extensive loss of vegetation, forest cover, and biodiversity, particularly during harmattan season when conditions are hot and dry.
He warned that such fires often started from land clearing or agricultural purposes, which later spread uncontrollably, thereby destroying both young and mature trees.
The Manager urged the public, especially farmers, to adopt better fire management practices, create fire belts around farms and plantations, and report any incidents of open burning to the relevant authorities promptly.
This, he said, aimed at safeguarding not just seedlings under the tree for life project but also protecting community farmlands, property, and natural ecosystems.
He reinforced that every Ghanaian has a role to play in conserving the environment, and that protecting trees from bush fires is vital to ensuring the success of National reforestation efforts and securing the ecological benefits they promise for future generation.
