THE GOVERNEMNT is to create 80,000 permanent new jobs this year through the efforts of the Forestry Commission.

This will add to the 73,000 jobs already created under the National Forest Plantation Development Programme.

The programme, which was launched in September, last year by President Kufuor, seeks to establish 20,000 hectares of forest plantation annually, using the 'taungya' system, which allows farmers to intercrop food crops with trees for a period of three years.

In the Offinso district of the Ashanti Region more than 6000 farmers and unemployed youth, from 45 communities, have been engaged to produce 2.2 million seedlings.

Additionally, 45 members of the Ashanti Regional Tree Growers Association have also been engaged to produce three million seedlings, with each member consequently employing three to 10 workers to raise seedlings.

Hundreds of individuals and community groups have also been engaged in tree-cutting and planting for which they are paid.

The deputy minister of Lands and Forestry, Mr. Thomas Broni, who disclosed this during a familiarisation visit to reforestation sites in the Ashanti Region, said that government has allotted a sum of ?65billion as funds for the project and prayed the project would achieve its desired results

The deputy minister said but for a concerted military and police involvement in the fight against illegal chainsaw operations, the nation's forest would be totally degraded.

He said the government has launched a massive war against illegal chainsaw operators in the Ashanti Region.

According to him, chainsaw operators who are arrested for illegal operations would be prosecuted by the Director of Public Prosecution in Accra.

Chronicle gathered that the illegal activities of chainsaw operators in 57 forest reserves in the Ashanti Region have rendered over 94 thousand hectares of forest land seriously degraded.

The Ashanti Regional manager of the Forestry Commission, Mr. Atta Wusu, on his part, urged forest guards to rally behind the district forestry officials to rid the forest of illegal chainsaw operators who are depleting the nation's forest reserves.

On his part, the Offinso District Chief Executive, Mr. E.Y. Oduro, made an urgent call to the youth who have left the rural communities to seek greener pastures in urban centres to return home "since the NPP government has brought jobs to the doorsteps of the rural-folk."