The employees of the environmental supervision department of the Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture of Georgia discovered an illegal sawmill. The development came as part of the fight against illegal forest use, which led to the establishment of illegal sawmills in the Shuakhevi and Kharagauli Municipalities.
The Environmental Supervision Department of Georgia shared glimpses of the illegal sawmill on its official Facebook Page on August 18, 2026, Tuesday. A small note about the violations was also shared along with its glimpses.
In the villages of Shubani and Toma-sheti, citizens had installed band sawmill equipment on unregistered land plots. In the village of Gedsamania, a citizen had installed an unregistered band sawmill in the yard of a residential property.
As all the cases contain elements of a criminal offense, the materials have been forwarded to the relevant authorities for further response. Combating illegal forest use remains a top priority for the Environment Supervision Department of the Country.
Also, the Department’s patrol teams carry out strict and continuous monitoring across the country. As part of efforts to combat illegal forest use, particular importance is attached to minimizing the number of unregistered sawmills.
The Environmental Supervision Department continues to strengthen measures against illegal forest activities by regularly inspecting areas where unauthorized logging and sawmill functions may take place. These efforts are aimed at protecting Georgia’s forest resources and preventing further environmental violations.
The Department actively uses modern technological tools in practice. An immediate response is provided to every report received through the Ministry’s hotline (153). Legislation has also been strengthened. As a result, during the first seven months of the current year, the Department’s officers identified 1,026 cases of illegal forest use across the country and sealed 42 illegal sawmills.
