Shoppers buy firewood at a Tabuk market Thursday as temperature has gone down to 9 degree Celsius with the start of the winter season. The ban on the trade in local firewood is still in place, said Hamoud Al-Twairqi, Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture's branch in Taif. He warned that the ministry has intensified inspection tours with the onset of winter and are determined to crack down on illegal trading. He said the Ministry of Agriculture employed a security company three years ago to prevent any encroachment on the forests. It has also intensified operations at firewood markets and at entry and exits points of the governorate; and is working with security authorities to arrest violators. (Okaz/Saudi Gazette) __
