Forestry Commission begins sensitization against perennial bushfires

The Sissala East Municipal Office of the Forestry Commission has begun a series of actions to sensitize community members in the Sissala area to combat bushfires and other activities that impact negatively on the environment.

This, it said, would help reduce the perennial bushfires in the municipality and its devastating effects on crops and environmental resources in the area.

Mr Samuel Badu-Dwomo the Sissala East Municipal Director of the Forestry Commission made this known in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Tumu.

Mr Badu-Dwomo said Bushfire Sensitisation Programmes including general public education through radio announcements and community workshops are to be carried out to educate the public on the causes of bushfires and it impacts on the environment.

He said activities of community members contribute to the causes of bushfires and cited that “some of the more common causes of bushfire have resulted from the need to get fresh grass for cattle to graze by cattle herdsmen, hunting for animals, cooking in farms, charcoal burning, using fire in the extraction of honey, cigarette smoking among others”.

Mr Badu-Dwomo identified methods and approaches including smoke detection, boundary patrols, formation of resource guards, community fire fighting volunteer groups among others as some measures adopted in preventing bushfires in areas like the forest reserves in the municipality.

“Whilst smoke detection is the main method for fire detection, boundary patrol, which is originally meant to ward off intruders into the forest reserves is also an important means by which fires are detected in the forest reserves”.

“Community fire fighting volunteer groups have been formed in the forest fringe communities including Kupulima, Tanvielle, Kassana, Fatchu, Jeffisi, and Mwanduanu to help control and combat bushfire every season of the year,” he said.

Mr Dwomo-Badu said, “Resource Guards are also grouped with YEA beneficiaries with scheduled fire patrol assignments from December to May of the ensuing year to prevent bushfires”.

He advised farmers to harvest farm produce on time as well as urged the general public to help protect and preserve the environment against bushfires.