The Forestry Commission has generated 28,000 jobs country wide under the National Forest Plantation Development Programme launched by President John Atta Mills last year. Samuel Afari Dartey, Chief Executive of the commission, who announced this during an interaction with newsmen at the end of his weeklong working tour of plantations in the Central and Western Regions, said the programme was yielding dividends in the protection of the nation’s forests. He said the programme, launched in January 2010, at Abofour in the Ashanti Region, had almost achieved its 2011 target of establishing 10,000 hectares of plantations, while maintaining an existing 30,000 hectares of timber plantations. The five-year programme, which is expected to create over 51,000 jobs in the forestry sector, is designed to reduce the rate of deforestation and significantly control its effects on rural communities. Under the programme, degraded forest reserves and off reserve areas are being replanted to achieve sustainable resource base that would satisfy future demands for industrial timber and enhance environmental quality. Mr. Dartey noted that although there were still a number of challenges confronting the programme the commission was determined to ensure its successful implementation of the programme towards a sustained national forest cover. In that regard, he cautioned timber firms against their over-reliance on the natural forest for timber production; indicating that the commission would not allow the natural forest to be sacrificed in the interest of timber revenue. He said the commission would not compromise on its stake to protect the forests to ensure that only plantations earmarked for timber production were harvested. Mr. Dartey said timber production in the natural forest was not profitable, and encouraged more private participation in the cultivation of other plantations as an alternative source, to sustain further supply of timber to wood processing firms. He explained that the timber industry could only be sustained through plantations, explaining that the forest functionally provides only 10 per cent of timber, with 90 per cent taking care of food security, pollution, and the protection of water bodies and cash crops. During his interactions with the management and staff of various timber firms in the regions, Mr. Dartey reiterated the need to allow the natural forest to protect water bodies and biodiversity while attention is shifted to the establishment of plantations to sustain the local timber industry. He called on timber firms to present a cohesive and a united front in their demands, noting that players had remained disorganised, making it difficult for the Commission to address their challenges effectively. As part of the tour, the Forestry Commission boss visited Oda Kotoamso in the Amenfi West District of the Western Region where he had supervised a 1000-hectare plantation to restore a depleted forest cover in a space of 14 years during his days in the industry.