News
The Department of Environmental Supervision Identified an Illegal Sawmill in Imereti
As part of efforts to combat illegal forest use, officers of the Imereti Regional Division of the Department of Environmental Supervision of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture identified a violation in the Chiatura Municipality.
In the village of Itkhvisi, a citizen had installed an unregistered circular sawmill next to a residential house.
From the premises of the illegal sawmill, approximately 3 cubic meters of sawn timber and firewood of various species, including walnut, a species protected under the Red List, were seized.
As the incident contains elements of a criminal offense, the relevant materials were forwarded to the appropriate authority for further response.
Protection of natural resources and the prevention of environmental violations are priorities for the Department of Environmental Supervision. As part of efforts to combat illegal forest use, during the first eight months of this year, Department officers identified 1,124 cases of illegal forest use across the country. During the same period, 47 unregistered sawmills were sealed.
In Imereti alone, 152 cases of illegal forest use were recorded from January 1 through August 31, 2026.
The crews of the Department of Environmental Supervision patrol across the country 24 hours a day to ensure the timely prevention, detection, and suppression of illegal forest use and other environmental violations. An immediate response is provided to every report received through the Ministry’s hotline (153).
