The Vice Chancellor (VC) of the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR), Professor Elvis Asare-Bediako, has urged Ghanaians to help restore the nation’s lost forest by planting and preserving trees.

“Man’s reckless and unsustainable usage of the forest has caused a huge damage to the nation’s forests and every Ghanaian should concentrate on helping to repair and restore the depleted forest,” he said.

Prof Asare-Bediako gave the advice during the celebration of the International Day of Forests, organised by the University’s School of Natural Resources in Sunyani.

It was on the theme: “Forest Restoration; A Path to Recovery and Wellbeing”.

Prof Asare-Bediako expressed regret that unscrupulous and uncontrolled human activities had degraded and depleted many of the nation’s forests, a situation contributing to climate change and its attendant consequences.

“Currently we are feeling the adverse reactionary effects of climate change and global warming, and so it is imperative for all of us to support conscious efforts to repair this damage caused to nature’s property,” he added.

The Bono Regional Manager for the Forestry Services Division (FSD), Mr Isaac Noble Eshun said forests and natural resources were gifts from God and humans could not survive without those natural endowments.

“Man’s creative and innovative ways of utilising these natural resources have increased tremendously, and these have left remarkable ecological foot prints. Therefore creativity and innovation must be put in to restore the nation’s vegetative cover,” he said.

He said forests and natural resources contributed hugely to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and that restoration activities were required to bring back the depleted forest cover.

The District Manager of the Sunyani Forest District, Mr Francis Brobbey, told the Ghana News Agency that forest restoration remained a critical strategy to tackling food insecurity, inaccessible clean water, soil erosion and climate change.

He expressed concern about Chainsaw operations, illegal logging and mining activities affecting the forest cover in the Bono Region.