_____________________________________________________________________________________________________ *Corresponding author: Email: hoppongtuffour@gmail.com; Original Research Article Journal of Global Ecology and Environment 4(3): 161-165, 2016 ISSN: 2454-2644 International Knowledge Press www.ikpress.org ASSESSMENT OF FOREST COVER DEPLETION DUE TO LOGGING IN THE OFFIN RIVER PORTION AND OFFIN SHELTERBELT FOREST RESERVES IN GHANA EBENEZER DJANEY DJAGBLETEY 1,2 , GLORIA DJANEY DJAGBLETEY 3 , HENRY OPPONG TUFFOUR 1* AND AWUDU ABUBAKARI 1 1 Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. 2 Ghana Forestry Commission, Central Region, Cape Coast, Ghana. 3 Forestry Research Institute of Ghana, Kumasi, Ghana. AUTHORS’ CONTRIBUTIONS This work was carried out in collaboration between all authors. Authors EDD and GDD designed the study and wrote the protocol. Authors EDD, GDD and AA anchored the field study and gathered the initial data. Authors HOT and AA performed preliminary data analysis, interpreted the data and managed the literature searches and produced the initial draft. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Received: 11 th August 2015 Accepted: 26 th January 2016 Published: 8 th March 2016 __________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACT The study was conducted to investigate the extent of forest cover depletion resulting from logging in two forest reserves in Ghana. Seven communities were covered in this study and forest inventory results were analysed. Illegal logging, surface mining, NTFP harvesting and processing, unsustainable agriculture practices were observed to be prevalent in the seven (7) forest dependent communities. Over an eleven (11) year period, a total sum of 21.3% forest loss has been detected in the Offin Shelterbelt and Tano Offin forest reserves. It is anticipated that should current over-exploitation and forest degradation continue in the Offin Shelterbelt forest reserve, the stand density in terms of basal area (m 2 ha -1 ) shall be reduced to less than 5 m 2 ha -1 threshold in seventeen (17) years. The afore mentioned malpractices has adverse practical implications inclined towards to the decimation of prime species which are valuable genetic resources across various disciplines, with an eventual extinction of these floral lives. The declination of forest cover and bad land use practices in the catchment have impacted negatively on the regularity of the flow and water quality of River Offin on which surrounding communities are heavily dependent on in the cultural proceedings. Keywords: Forest cover; logging; deforestation. 1. INTRODUCTION Estimates show that about 12 million ha of rainforest are lost world wide every year [1] due to human activities especially unsustainable farming practices and logging, and wildfires. Thus, the world’s forests are under increasing pressure from population pressure, timber exploitation, wildfires, infrastructure development, cattle ranching and arable farming. Much destruction of the forests, often quite unnecessary, has accompanied the spread of what is called civilization throughout the world [2]. Typical instances of such past folly caused the barren hillside of Greece, the degradation of Southern Italy, the arid