Earth Today | 6,000 trees for Jamaica 60

THE AGRO-INVESTMENT Corporation, the agribusiness investment facilitation arm of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, is partnering with the Forestry Department, an agency of the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, to plant 6,000 trees islandwide, in commemoration of Jamaica’s 60th anniversary of Independence.

The 6,000 seedlings – including fruit, timber and ornamental trees – will be provided by the Forestry Department and planted by the Agro-Investment Corporation’s team on the agro parks and production zones islandwide. This tree-planting project will also contribute to the National Tree-Planting Initiative (NTPI), launched by Prime Minister Andrew Holness with a target of three million trees in three years.

The islandwide tree-planting activity is expected to begin on Wednesday, August 31, with an official launch and symbolic tree planting at the Amity Hall Agro Park in St Catherine.

“Tree planting is about investing in our future,” said Conservator of Forests and Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Department, Ainsley Henry.

“As we reflect and celebrate the 60 years of our nation’s Independence, we must continue to ensure that we make the necessary investments to safeguard our environment for future generations. We welcome this partnership to plant 6,000 trees with the Agro-Investment Corporation as one of our activities to celebrate Jamaica’s 60th anniversary of Independence,” he added.

The 6,000 trees to be planted will be spread across the Amity Hall Agro Park in St Catherine, Ebony Park and Spring Plain Agro Parks in Clarendon, New Forest/Duff House Agro Park in St Elizabeth, Yallahs and Plantain Garden River Agro Parks in St Thomas, Holland Estate in St Elizabeth, and New Pen Production Zone in St Mary.

The NTPI was officially launched on National Tree-Planting Day in 2019 to help mitigate the effects of climate change, while providing an opportunity for everyone to contribute to increasing the island’s forest cover and beautifying their surroundings through tree planting. As of March 2022, more than a million trees have been planted/distributed in support of the initiative.