Asenanyo Forest Reserve
The Asenanyo Forest Reserve is a production forest that was established
in the year 1940 and covers an area of 22,800 ha in the Ashanti Region
of Ghana (Wiafe, 2014). It is of the moist semi-deciduous forest
ecosystem, with the dominant tree species being Celtis
mildbraedii , Triplochiton scleroxylon , Entandrophragmaspp. and Thaumatococus spp. (Wiafe, 2014; Forest Services
Division, 2010a). The forest has a bimodal rainy season from April to
October (maximum rainfall: May-June; minimum rainfall:
September-October) and a dry season from November to March. Annual
rainfall range is 1250–500 mm (Hall & Swaine, 1981). Temperature in
the reserve ranges from an average high of 30.5oC to
21oC, with a mean annual relative humidity of about
84%. Asenanyo Forest Reserve has about 20 admitted farms scattered
throughout the reserve, the size of each averaging approximately 5 ha
(Forest Services Division, 2010a). The reserve also has one admitted
community occupying an area of about 955.70 ha (Forest Services
Division, 2010a). Threats faced by the reserve include illegal logging,
charcoal production, illegal farming in the reserve, surface mining,
sand wining and hunting (Wiafe, 2014; Forest Services Division, 2010a).
These activities are accompanied by unauthorized development of in-roads
and clearing of forest.