National Inventories Serving Global Monitoring of Forest Resources. The Chanaian Experience : National Forest Inventories

1993

S. 81-88

8 Lit. Ang.

Unselbständiges Werk

200103941

Man's interaction with the forest dates as far back as ancient times, yet the concept of conservation and management of forests for its wise-use is a recent development. However, to manage a nation's forest resources properly information relating to what is growing, condition of growing resources, where it is growing, what quantities and at what rate it is growing become indispensable. Three national forest inventories have been undertaken in Ghana since the 1950s. The most recent one which saw the re-vitalisation of the Permanent Plot programme, took place between October 1985 and November 1988 and covered an area of 546.000 ha consisting of 43 forest reserves. The results of the inventory led to: a. reclassification of tree species in the forest, b. determination of national volume estimates - 188 million m3, c. increment determination from Permanent Sample Plots (P.S.P.s)-5mm/yr(average), d. determination of time of passage and tree age for various species, e. determination of growth of stand, f. formulation of individual species yield table and annual allowable cut, g. determination of forest growth estimates from Ghana Forest Simulation Model GHAFOSIM", and h. determination of depletion rates of the forest resources. Together with these basic management information, the national forest resources are being monitored through the P.S.P.system. Though forest resources cover wildlife population, sources of freshwaters and their fishes, it must be emphasized that, in Ghana, not much has been done with regard to their inventory.