For Aunty Maggie, the forest was once a place her community could depend on.
At 60, the resident of Aboaboso, near Jacobu in the Amansie Central District of the Ashanti Region, remembers when people could rely on the forest and its water sources for their daily needs.
Today, that memory is fading.
The water has become polluted by illegal mining, and even a trip to the farm now comes with an extra burden.
“We can no longer use it for anything because it has been heavily polluted by illegal miners. Now, we buy sachet water when we are going to farm,” she said.
For her, the destruction of the forest is not simply about trees disappearing.
It is about water that can no longer be trusted, farmland under pressure and a natural resource that once supported the community gradually losing its value.
And there is another concern.
As illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, opens up parts of Ghana’s forests, environmental experts fear that the damage may create opportunities for another illegal activity — the harvesting and movement of timber outside the legal system.
It is what some stakeholders describe as a “double illegality” — one form of environmental crime creating conditions that make another easier.
A forest under pressure
The Oda River Forest Reserve is one of 13 forest reserves in the Bekwai Forest District of the Forestry Services Division of the Forestry Commission.
Established in 1931, the reserve covers about 16,200 hectares and provides important ecological services, including water protection, biodiversity conservation and support for communities around it.
But parts of the reserve have been heavily disturbed by illegal mining.
During visits to affected forest areas in the Ashanti, Western and Eastern regions, abandoned mining pits, excavator tracks, damaged vegetation and tree stumps could be seen.
In some areas, the landscape appeared almost unrecognisable.
The Oda River, an important tributary within the Offin River system, has also been affected, with muddy water, silt and eroded riverbanks visible in sections.
For communities that depend on natural water sources, the consequences are immediate.
Aunty Maggie said residents now have to spend money on sachet water when going to their farms.
The situation has also affected farming, which remains an important source of livelihood for many households.
The numbers behind the damage
The destruction is not limited to the Oda River Forest Reserve.
According to the Global Forest Watch Ghana forest dashboard, Ghana lost about 1.9 million hectares of tree cover between 2001 and 2025.
A 2025 study led by Prof. Simon Abugre, Associate Professor at the Department of Forest Sciences of the University of Energy and Natural Resources, examined the impact of illegal gold mining on the Oda River Forest Reserve.
The study, titled Forest Landscape Degradation, Carbon Loss and Ecological Consequences of Illegal Gold Mining in Ghana, found that the area affected by illegal mining increased from 52.78 hectares in 2018 to 1,059.85 hectares in 2023.
Forest cover also declined from 16,959.89 hectares in 2018 to 15,952.82 hectares in 2023.
Researchers found significant reductions in vegetation and plant diversity in mined areas.
In heavily disturbed locations, trees, shrubs and climbers had disappeared, leaving bare and degraded landscapes.
The findings are consistent with concerns raised about the link between forest loss and water security.
A WaterAid study conducted with Tree Aid, titled From Roots to Rivers: How Deforestation Impacts Freshwater Access, highlighted the importance of forests in protecting water sources.
For communities such as Aboaboso, that connection is no longer theoretical.
They are experiencing it in their daily lives.
When galamsey opens the door
The most worrying part may be what happens after the forest has been opened up.
Former illegal miner Prince Arhinful explained how mining operations can penetrate protected forest areas.
According to him, miners sometimes receive information about possible gold deposits and then create routes through the forest to transport excavators, water pumps and other equipment.
“In some cases, abandoned logging tracks are reused to access deeper sections of the forest,” he said.
“The aim is to extract as much gold as possible before security agencies detect the activity.
Clearing vegetation, he explained, is often part of preparing a mining site.
“When the forest is cleared, you see it. Rivers become muddy and the land is exposed,” he said.
But the cleared forest can also become easier to access for other activities.
Dr Doreen Asumang-Yeboah, Executive Director of Rights and Advocacy Initiatives Network (RAIN), said illegal mining and illegal logging could occur within the same forest landscapes, although the two problems were not always addressed together.
She said the access routes created by miners and the destruction of vegetation could make monitoring more difficult.
Her concern is that treating illegal mining and illegal logging as separate problems could leave gaps in forest protection.
Once a forest has been opened up, she said, other forms of exploitation can become easier.
From mining to timber
This is where Ghana’s timber supply chain comes into the picture.
Illegal timber harvesting has long been a challenge in Ghana.
A 2024 study by Tropenbos International, Assessing Illegal Logging in Ghana, estimated that between 2.3 million and 2.7 million cubic metres of timber harvested annually in Ghana come from illegal sources.
The concern is not only that trees are illegally cut.
It is also what happens when illegally harvested timber enters the legitimate market.
Forestry expert, Samuel Amponsah, said once illegally sourced timber enters a legitimate supply chain, tracing its original source becomes more difficult.
The challenge, he said, involves weaknesses in monitoring, verification and enforcement.
Albert Katako, Head of Programmes at Civic Response, said Ghana had made progress with timber traceability but warned that gaps remained, particularly in the domestic market.
“There are still loopholes that allow illegally harvested timber to enter the market,” he said.
He said forest areas already affected by illegal mining could present additional monitoring challenges because several illegal activities could occur within the same landscape.
He called for stronger surveillance and better traceability from the forest through transportation, processing and sale.
The legal timber industry
The problem also affects businesses operating within the law.
Dr Kwame Asamoah Adam, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Timber Millers Organisation, said continued destruction of forest resources could threaten the future of the legal timber industry.
Legitimate operators, he said, depend on legally sourced wood, and the degradation of forests reduces the resource available to them while placing compliant businesses at a disadvantage.
He called for stronger enforcement and closer coordination among the institutions responsible for forestry, mining and law enforcement.
But some small-scale timber operators say accessing legal timber is itself a challenge.
Kofi Asare, a chainsaw operator, said some small operators lacked the resources and connections needed to secure legally sourced wood.
That difficulty, he said, could push some operators towards informal channels.
His account illustrates the economic pressures behind some illegal timber activities and the need to make legal alternatives accessible.
BY BENEDICTA GYIMAAH FOLLEY