Earth Today | New man in charge at Forestry

THERE IS a new man at the helm of the island’s Forestry Department, the executive agency with the responsibility to manage and conserve Jamaica’s forest resources, and in particular those on public lands.

Ainsley Henry – with a track record of service to the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) and the regional track of the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience (PPCR) – assumed the position of chief executive officer and conservator of forests last November.

“I am excited by the challenge it poses, awed by the responsibility they have, and committed to the task at hand,” he told The Gleaner.

“I have an imaginative way of thinking and agility in terms of my leadership style, as well as some 20-odd years in the environment field. It is not going to be business as usual,” added the former director of the Applications Management Division at NEPA and before that, among other things, the Integrated Watershed and Coastal Zone Management Branch.

More recently, Henry, 47, was programme manager for the Regional Track of the PPCR, funded by the Inter-American Development Bank and implemented in six pilot countries to improve regional processes to acquire, store and analyse access and disseminate climate-relevant data; as well as to scale up innovative climate-resilient initiatives.

“It is going to be how can we get things done in the most efficient way possible, how can get Jamaicans interested in forestry and, being outside, taking care of the environment,” he said.

In his three months as head of Forestry, he ordered his priorities and is intent on realising successful outcomes. They include accelerating implementation of the national tree-planting initiative, ‘Three Million Trees in Three Years’, which was launched by Prime Minister Andrew Holness in 2019.

“I tell my staff that I am not in the business of planting seedlings, I am in the business of growing trees. I want to ensure that we go back months later, years later, and we see the trees,” he said of his intentions for the initiative, which is to come to an end in October 2022.

‘Tree Legacy’

Now more than a year into the initiative, Henry is keen on ramping things up in the coming months, given the value of trees to national development “in the area of climate change adaptation, national reforestation efforts to increase forest cover, and to establish high-value urban green spaces for the benefit of all Jamaicans”.

To help make it happen, the Forestry Department on February 11, launched their latest promotion titled ‘My Tree Legacy’.

“In recognition of the strong and vibrant school spirit that is embedded in the Jamaican culture, the agency is offering past students an opportunity to engage with their alma maters in a way that provides tangible and lasting benefits – not only for current students, but for future generations,” the agency noted in an article posted to its website on the subject.

“The first planting activity under this new thrust took place at the St Jago High School in St Catherine on Thursday where a mixture of 22 seedlings, to include yellow poui, Pride of Barbados and our national tree, Blue Mahoe, were planted,” it added.

St Jago is Henry’s alma mater.

“To our minds, it is not just about planting the trees, it is also about allowing for the re-engagement of past students with their alma mater and with the current crop of students, and to contribute to a broader, richer discussion to help these kids deal with the pandemic and other issues,” Henry added.

“High school for me was one of the times of my life where I met lifelong friends, and I think the pandemic, to some extent, has taken that away from some people. So this is part of making forestry not just about the trees, but a social enterprise,” he said further.

Also on his agenda for prioritisation is the engagement of communities next to or adjoining forests.

“One of the things we are seeking to do is engage forest-adjacent communities and ensure that social forestry is a part of what we do. We recognise that the actual conservation and sustainable management of forests cannot be done from Kingston. It has to be done from a local level as well,” he said.

Meanwhile, Henry paid homage to the former heads of the agency, among them Marilyn Headley, who filled the role for more than two decades and served the forestry sector for close to 40 years.

“It is recognised that I have very large shoes to fill. The legacy of all the conservators over the years has been quite interesting. Marilyn was there for quite some time and helped to guide the agency to where it is today. I hope to build on her legacy and guide the agency to higher heights,” he said.

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