By Emmanuel Akayeti.
A Research Scientist at the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research of the Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (CSIR-FORIG), in charge of the Savannah Research Centre, Dr Stephen Edem Akpalu, has advised citizens of the Upper East Region, to take advantage of the rains to plant and grow indigenous tree species, even though they often grow in the wild naturally.
This is because the unsustainable manner in which these tree species are being exploited would not be able to ensure a continuous availability of their products. He added that, apart from trees providing environmental protection, shade and shelter, many people have now learnt to add value to our indigenous tree products and are now into seed oils extraction, processing and packaging as well as other natural products with numerous uses.
Speaking in an interview with GBC News in Bolgatanga, Dr. Akpalu said indigenous trees such as Parkia biglobosa (Dawadawa), Tamarindus Indica, Adansonia digitata (Baobab), Khaya senegalensis (Mahogany), Vitellaria paradoxa (Shea) are very profitable in terms of their products like fruits, seeds, leaves, bark and roots as food supplements, and for medicinal purposes.
Dr. Akpalu debunked the notion by some indigenes that “when you plant some of the indigenous tree species, you would die before they start fruiting”.
He said the best time to plant tree seedlings in the northern parts of the country is between June and September during the rains.
‘’There is the need to plant more of the indigenous species because they are increasingly becoming more exportable with a high economic value in recent times and it is an area worth venturing into as a plantation,’’ he emphasized.
Dr. Akpalu said for instance that the Parkia (Dawadawa) seeds are becoming scarce and some processors are resorting to the use of soya-bean for the processing of Dawadawa due to difficulties in obtaining Parkia seeds, “and this explains the critical state of our indigenous tree species’’.
He added that some countries in the Sub-region are processing and canning Tamarindus into drinks for export into Ghana, yet the seedlings can easily be grown under the country’s natural conditions.
The Forestry Research Institute of Ghana, FORIG said it “nurses” a lot of indigenous seedlings at a cheap cost of ₵2 per seedling, but people do not patronize them. Dr Akpalu however, gave an in-depth perspective on the Baobab tree, saying it has all along been a very important tree species that played a major role in the livelihoods of communities.
Many local dwellers depend on the Baobab tree for survival in times of famine in the past decades and centuries past, unfortunately, people believe it can only grow naturally. Moreover, there are a lot of activities that hinder its natural regeneration and growth. He indicated that the Baobab can be easily nursed as seedlings and transplanted to develop a plantation where good money can be made.
