Forestry Commission says timber firms involved in forest’ plantation and preservation remain critical allies in restoring depleted forests.

Companies like Samartex, Ayum Forestry Product and the Ghana Timber Millers Association are not just harvesting timber but busily involved in plantation development in the Bono and Ahafo regions of Ghana.

With support from the Forestry Commission, the firms have between them, planted in excess of 20,000 hectares of economic tree species such as Teak, Rosewood, Oframo, Gmelina and Cideralla.

Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission, John Allotey told JoyNews the practice is not only restoring lost vegetative cover but also earning the country carbon credit, foreign exchange and timber products.

It also provides direct employment to over 5,000 locals working in such plantations.

"Timber firms and operators of the timber industry and most people see them as people who are only extracting logs; cutting down the trees but most of them are doing a lot of good work.

A lot of them are engaged in plantation," says Chief Executive of Forestry Commission, John Allotey.

Mr. Allotey was speaking during a tour of plantation sites of Global Green Gold, a subsidiary of Samartex and Form Ghana in Tain II Forest respectively as well as Greenfields Plantations in the Amama Forest at Jinijini.

The Ayum Forest Product, a beneficiary of government’s flagship "1-District-1-Factory" initiative has also planted over seven million trees on a 4,000-hectare land in the past 17 years.

The plantation, sited on degraded, land is a fully fledged forest that mimics that of a natural forest with undergrowth.

Though the company has not been active in operation for some time now, officials hope it will bounce back with the injection of capital as it begins to harvest some of the trees from its plantations.

General Manager of Ayum Forest Product Limited, Maxwell Kusi told the delegation made up of  officials of the Ministry of Lands, Forestry Commission Board and the media the company ventured into  plantation is 17-years ago despite the challenges.

"The forest is about 17-years-old and we wish we can start harvesting some of the species especially the Cideralla this year.

According to Mr Kusi, over seven million trees, made up of over 20 indigenous but extinct trees species have been planted.

Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission, John Allotey commended the companies for  good work done.

"We've been to Samartex place where they've done almost 800 hectares of plantation. Form Ghana has done about 8,000 since 2013 so what you see today is a manifestation of  the investments  that they have put in.

When they invest like this, we are able to plant in the degraded area, then its creating job; its providing revenue to communities around. We are also looking at Carbon Credit as well."