The Forestry Commission has appealed to Ghanaian timber producers and exporters to join hands and support initiatives designed to help the country to meet the current global requirements for legal and sustainable timber. Henry G. Coleman, Acting Executive Director of the Timber Industry Development Division of the Commission, also cautioned that any business practice, which tended to create doubts in the international market about Ghana's commitment to legal timber initiatives, might affect the country's efforts at increasing earnings from the sector. He was addressing a day's workshop on the Lacey Act Declaration Protocol of the United States of America for timber millers, producers, exporters and other stakeholders at Akyawkrom, near Ejisu in the Ashanti region. The Lacey Act is a US Customs declaration, which seeks to prevent the importation of foreign illegal timber and other forest products into any state of the US. The enforcement of the Declaration began in May 1, 2009. The workshop was therefore, aimed at creating awareness on the declaration among the industry players and to position Ghanaian exporters to meet US market requirements in order to sustain the country's position in terms of volume and value of timber exports into the USA. Mr. Coleman said the coming into effect of the declaration called for a paradigm shift in the way Ghana as a supplier of timber and wood products, conducted its business with the importing region adding that, there was the need to create awareness on the challenges of the Declaration to enable exporters to position themselves well to meet the requirements. He said the introduction• and implementation of the declaration was as important to the USA consumers as it should be for Ghanaian exporters of wood products, with the simple reason that it would help both countries to achieve credibility and reliability in their business relations over the years. Roger Cardoso, Trade and Industry Manager of TIDD, said the Forestry Commission was working to improve existing modification systems to give assurance to the international market of the genuineness of the Ghanaian wood products. Richard Gyimah of the Voluntary Partnership Agreement Secretariat of the Commission said the vision of the Voluntary Partnership Agreement, which is the agreement between Ghana and European Union, sought to promote sustainable forest management, improve rural livelihood and equity as well as enabling industrial efficiency in good governance. Meanwhile, the Dean of Technology Education of the University of Education, Winneba- Kumasi Campus Reynald Okai has identified the need to find alternative means for the production of particle boards and other wood products in Ghana, considering the fast depleting nature of the country's forest reserve. Making a PowerPoint presentation on "Industrial Utilisation of Corn Stalk, Elephant Grass, Sugarcane Bagasse and empty Fruit Bunch of Oil Palm for the production of Particle Boards" at the UEW Sib Media Encounter with Managers and Senior Editors, the Professor noted that as a result of human activities, Ghana's forest covers has drastically reduced from 8 million at the time of independence to I.S. million hectors. The fifth Media Encounter was held under the theme "University of Education, Winneba: Inspiring Innovation and Gender Mainstreaming in UEW." Prof. Okai said the situation does not only present a threat to the environment but primarily poses a great challenge to the timber industry in the country and said the only way to avert a possible collapse of the industry was to find alternative for production of wood products. Source: The Statesman