Source: ITTO TTM Report 16 – 30 Sep 2021
Operators of small and medium forest enterprises (SMFEs) have expressed their readiness to work within the framework of Ghana’s Timber Legality Standards (GhTLAS) after attending a workshop convened by the Kumasi Wood Cluster Association and a non-governmental organisation.
Image cedit: Michael Behrens | Unsplash
The workshop’s 30 participants from SFMEs in Ghana’s high forest zones were taken through the requirements of timber harvesting, as set out in the GhTLAS, by officials from the Forest Services Division, the Resource Management Support Centre and the Timber Validation Department of the Ghana Forestry Commission.
At the end of the workshop, participants said they had a better understanding of legality principles, including on worker health and safety and how to prepare and implement forest operational plans, operational maps and logging maps, which they considered would make their work easier.
Ghana signed a voluntary partnership agreement (VPA) with the EU in 2009 and has completed several stages of the process. VPAs are legally binding trade agreements between the EU and timber-producing countries outside the EU, with the purpose of ensuring that timber and timber products exported to the EU come from legal sources. VPAs are also expected to help timber-exporting countries prevent illegal logging by improving regulation and governance in the forest sector. See full article.
