There is massive illegal exploitation of timber in the Fomanso-North Forest Reserve in the Asante-Akim South District, Nana Adomfe Agyei II, Chief of Adomfe Traditional Area in the Asante Akim South District, said at the weekend.

He has, therefore, urged the Timber Taskforce in the Ashanti Region to help stop it.

Nana Adomfe Agyei, who was speaking to the Ghana News Agency on telephone, said he sent the Local Taskforce to go on their routine inspection at the Fomanso-North Forest Reserve in the Asante-Akim South District, that belonged to his Stool last Thursday to check the illegal activities of chain saw operators.

The report brought by the five-member Forest Taskforce revealed that there was massive illegal felling of timber including Odum trees in the Fomanso-North Forest by some Timber men numbering about 20, using sophisticated equipment like timber jack that collected and piled up the timber to be transported.

Nana Adomfe Agyei said when his Taskforce arrived at where the illegal felling of timber was going on, the people were alerted by their watchmen and they all fled to hide in the thick forest further away, adding, "my men were able to take one drum and other containers of diesel oil and brought them to the Palace".

Nana Adomfehene said, "I had the fears that if I informed the Forestry Officers at Juaso, those who are operating illegally will go underground, and this has made me to be confused in whatever steps that I want to take to stop the illegal timber felling at Fomanso North Forest and decided to inform the press".

Nana Adomfe Agyei explained further that when in February, the Taskforce met illegal timber felling in that forest, he reported to the Police, but he was told that they could not go there to arrest the people since their vehicle could not travel to that forest.

He said he then reported the matter to the Juaso Forestry Officer, "but to my utter dismay, he came to my Palace while I was away, to plead that I should be prevailed upon not to report them to the authorities, something, which I considered absurd".

Nana Adomfehene said what he could do out of frustration was to rush to LLL Timber Company in Kumasi, where the truck load of the lumber was sent and called the Management of the Company and swore the Great Oath of Asante that they should not touch the lumber and since then they have been left at the yard of the Company.

When contacted, Dr Lord Gyamfi Fenteng, District Chief Executive for Asante Akim South District Assembly told GNA on telephone that the issue of illegal felling of timber trees had become the concern of his administration and he had had serious discussions with the Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Sampson K. Boafo, who paid a two-day working visit to the area.

He said they were devising plans to send taskforces to monitor the forest areas in the District, especially Fomanso North Forest Reserve that had so many entry routes that facilitated illegal chain saw operators to get to the forest.