About us

Forestry Research Institute of Ghana is one of the 13 institutes of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). It is located at Fumesua near Kumasi in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. It started as a research unit within the Forestry Department in 1962. It was fully established as a research institute and named FOREST PRODUCTS RESEARCH INSTITUTE (FPRI) under the then Ghana Academy of Sciences in 1964 and in 1968 placed under the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). By Act of Parliament (Act 405) the Institute was transferred from the CSIR to the Forestry Commission in 1980.

In 1991, the name of the Institute was changed to Forestry Research Institute of Ghana to reflect the widening scope of its research activities. In 1993, by another Act of Parliament (Act 453) the Institute was reverted to the CSIR.
 

Vision

The vision of FORIG is to be the centre of excellence in forestry research in the humid tropics. FORIG is to be recognised as one of the institutions in the tropics making substantial contribution towards sustainable development of tropical forests.

Mission Statement
 

Forestry Research Institute of Ghana's mission is to conduct high quality, user-focused research that generates scientific knowledge and appropriate technologies which enhance the sustainable development, conservation and efficient utilization of Ghana's forest resources; and also to disseminate the information for the improvement of the social, economic and environmental well-being of the Ghanaian people.

Goals

• Conduct high quality user-focused forestry research that generates scientific knowledge and appropriate technologies.

• Disseminate forestry related information for the improvement of the social, economic and environmental well-being of the Ghanaian people.

• To enhance the sustainable development, conservation and efficient utilisation of Ghana's forest resources.

• To foster stronger linkages through collaborative research across disciplines among its scientists, stakeholders and external Institutions.

Objectives

The main objectives determined to help fulfill our mission and accomplish our mandate are as follows:

• Develop technologies for sustainable management of natural forests and biodiversity conservation

• Develop technologies fundamental to the success of plantation forestry

• Generate technological properties and develop appropriate processing techniques for the efficient utilization of forest resources

• Enhance sustainable management and utilization of non-timber forest products (NTFPs)

• Mobilise, process and disseminate information critical to the management of Ghana’s forest resources

• Strengthen capacity and use it for optimum research and commercialised services

• Establish mechanism for attracting financial assistance from donors, private and public institutions for research

• Develop Agroforestry technologies

The Institute's programmes thus cover the entire range of forestry and forest products research in addition to providing assistance in various forms to wood-based industries.

Facilities

The Institute's permanent offices and laboratories are located at Fumesua, near Kumasi. It has research centres in 5 research stations strategically located in Kumasi and in one or more ecological zones of the country. These stations are listed below:

The laboratories of the Institute have a wide range of equipment for research and development. They include Impregnation Plants, Seasoning Kilns, Furniture Testing Machines, “INSTRON” Strength Testing Machine, Wood-working Machines, Steam Generators, Microscopes, Growth Chamber and UV spectrophotometer.

The institute is the focal point of Plant Resources of Tropical Africa (PROTA) PROTA is an international, not-for-profit foundation. It intends to synthesize the dispersed information on the approximately 7,000 useful plants of Tropical Africa and to provide wide access to the information through Webdatabases, Books, CD-Rom’s and Special Products.

An irrigated research nursery is maintained at Mesewam, near Kumasi. In addition, the Institute maintains a herbarium and an insectary. The Bobiri Research Centre has been developed as an ecotourism site.

Expertise

The Institute has specialists in Silviculture, Entomology, Forest botany, Forest ecology, Seed technology, Mensuration / Statistics, Genetics, Wood Science & Technology, Wood Products Chemistry, Policy & Socio-Economics and Marketing and Information Science.

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