Rate of timber production in Bibiani Anhwiaso Bekwai District in the Western Region over a period of eleven years (2002-2012) and its implication on sustainable forest management

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October, 2015
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Timber production data are very essential for sustainable management of forest resources. In Ghana and most developing countries the rate of timber harvesting is increasing alarmingly, leading to depletion and degradation of forest resources. In a bid to investigate the rate of depletion of timbers in Ghana, the rate of timber harvesting in the On and Off reserve areas in the Bibiani Anhwiaso Bekwai Forest District of the Western Region, was evaluated over the period 2002 to 2012. Sampling in the On and Off reserves was conducted during an eight months period in 2013. A total of 57 different indigenous hardwood species in 22 families were identified to be harvested from both On and Off reserve areas. The data obtained from the Forest Services Division official records (monthly and annual report files) were on the species, volume and number of different economic timber species exploited on monthly basis from 2002 to 2012. The number and volume of timber species harvested from the forest reserves (On reserve) was higher and significantly different (p<0.05) than those harvested from the Off reserve areas over the period of eleven years. The total number of stems (trunk) exploited from the forest ecosystem of the district during the period of eleven years was 18,885 with an estimated volume of 211,719.215m3. There was a significant difference (p<0.05) in timber logging between the years 2002 to 2012. In the Off-reserves, 22 species out of 57 sampled were harvested whilst in the On reserve 56 species were harvested. The age of the timber trees harvested ranged from 4 to 190 years. The trend revealed that economic timber species were disappearing from the forest. Celtis zenkeri, Triplochiton scleroxylon, Piptadeniastrum africanum, Celtis mildbreadii and Ceiba pentandra were the most exploited species. The New National Forest Plantation Development Program has not been able to meet its intended target, introduced to bridge the gap between rates of extraction and planting. Only 1163.77 hectares were planted out of the total target of 2164.80 hectares during the period 2010 - 2013. The principles for achieving the goals of Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) and urgent conservation measures must be monitored to mitigate the consequences of forest degradation in Ghana.
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A thesis submitted to the Department of Theoretical and Applied Biology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in partial fulfillment of the requirements Master of Science degree in Environmental Science,
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