Southern Trelawny tree planting project in full swing

Western Bureau: 

The Southern Trelawny Environmental Agency (STEA) says it has already planted 9,700 of the 40,000 native trees which it is planting in Rock Spring and Albert Town, in Southern Trelawny, as part of a project funded by the Belgium based Tui Care Foundation.

The initiative is part of an effort to replace the trees that were chopped down over the years for a variety of reasons in that section of the Cockpit Country, which is one the nation’s premier watersheds – an area that channels rainfall into streams and rivers.

Environmentalist Hugh Dixon, the executive director of STEA, who has been one of the driving forces behind environmental preservation in the Cockpit Country, has been pleased with the progress being made to date.

"We intend to plant a total of 40,000 trees, 10,000 of which will be fruit trees to include mangoes, ackee, breadfruit and avocado,” said Dixon, who is also a major player in the promotion of eco-tourism. “The native trees include cedar, blue mahoe and Spanish elm."

According to Dixon, the overall aim of the project is to replace trees destroyed by forest fires, trees cleared away for farming, and trees illegally cut down to provide lumber for the furniture industry.  

"The planting of these trees will help to increase rainfall and maintain the 13 rivers across western Jamaica, which originate out of the Cockpit Country,” said Dixon. “In addition, the fruits will increase our export crops and provide opportunities for agro processing, after which the pulp can be used for the production of animal feed." 

The Cockpit Country generates 40 per cent of Jamaica’s rainfall , which serves approximately a quarter of the  island through rivers, streams, springs and wells. Because the water travels through the limestone, which forms the base of the Cockpit Country, it is said to be rich in several essential minerals.

Dixon believes that by replacing the trees that were displaced, it will ensure that the Cockpit Country remains a constant source of fresh water.

editorial@gleanerjm.com