Ghana receives forest management certificate

Ghana has been accredited with an international forest management certificate for the management of its forest resources.

The Ghana Forest Management Certification Standard (GFMCS) awarded by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international organisation that promotes responsible management of the world’ forests, provides the country with an internationally recognised and credible yardstick for assessing sustainable forest management.

To this end, Ghana’s wood products which have the GFMCS certification can now be sold on the international market with no challenge. 

This was made known by the Chairman of the Ghana Working Group On Forest Certification, Mr Joseph W. Osei, at a policy briefing meeting held in Accra yesterday.

The Working Group on Forest Certification is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) accredited by the FSC to promote responsible forest management in the country.

How the GFMCS works

The certification, which takes retrospective effect from January 2013, becomes a checklist for easy application by forest auditors, managers, researchers, plantation developers and environmentalists to help make decisions on forest management in the country.

The GFMCS is applicable for use in all forest types and sizes in the country. It is a tool for the government to assess the outcomes of its forest management policies, legal and administrative requirements, as well as for forest managers or second parties to determine baseline performance of forest management operations.

The GFMCS will also provide guidelines on responsible ways of establishing forest plantations, as well as promote voluntary forest certification.

Specific Requirements

Mr Osei explained that the specific national requirements for forest management are that timber supplies must come from a forest under utilisation contract; that is, legally authorised to be harvested, and also that contractors hold valid timber rights and meet tax obligations.

Also, annual harvesting plan and the volumes harvested must respect provisions prescribed in forest management documents.

He said the national requirements also stipulated that rare, threatened and endangered species and high conservation value forests should be protected, while rules governing timber harvesting along streams and river banks were observed, among other requirements.

Writer's email: rebecca.quaicoe-duho@graphic.com.gh