Georgia: In the village of Nalepsao, an illegal saw was found in a wooden shed in the yard of a citizen, near the village of Nalepsao. The shed contained 48 units of various types of unidentified round trees (mori), as well as a primary recycling product of more than 1 cubic meter.
Citizens in villages had installed circular saw equipment in labor yards – 1st May and Davitiani, from which 14 units of Tkhmela (Murkani) type and primary recycling product of up to half a cubic meter (Dzelaki) were removed.
Because all three facts contain criminal offenses, the materials were sent to the relevant authorities for further response.
In the fight against illegal use of forests, one of the main goals of the Department of Environmental Supervision is to minimize the number of illegal loggings across the country. As a result of ongoing measures, in recent years, in almost all regions, including Samegrelo, there has been a decrease in the number of illegal forest uses and unregistered saws.
Employees of the Samegrelo–Zemo Svaneti Regional Division of the Environmental Supervision Department have identified illegal sawmills in the municipalities of Martvili, Zugdidi, and Khobi.
The citizens had installed circular-type sawing equipment in their residential yards. A large quantity of illegally obtained timber of various species was seized from the sites, including 62 logs and up to 2 cubic meters of boards and beams.
All three cases involve criminal offenses, and the relevant authorities have been notified for further action. Combating illegal forest use remains a top priority for the Department.
The patrol crews of the Department of Environmental Supervision conduct continuous 24-hour patrols nationwide to ensure the timely prevention, detection, and suppression of environmental violations. In addition, they provide immediate responses to all reports received through the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture’s hotline (153).
