Tue | May 19, 2026

Earth Today | A forestry conference to remember

Published:Thursday | December 22, 2022 | 12:21 AM
Pause
EU Ambassador to Jamaica Marianne Van Steen inspects one of the drones during a tour of the Forestry Department’s booth at the recent National Forestry Conference. The tour was led by Forest Technician Jevar McLaren.
Contributed
EU Ambassador to Jamaica Marianne Van Steen inspects one of the drones during a tour of the Forestry Department’s booth at the recent National Forestry Conference. The tour was led by Forest Technician Jevar McLaren.
Some of the wood products, including bamboo charcoal, on display in the Kew Park Farms booth during the National Forestry Conference earlier this month.
Contributed
Some of the wood products, including bamboo charcoal, on display in the Kew Park Farms booth during the National Forestry Conference earlier this month.
1
2

THE BUSINESS of forestry took the spotlight as stakeholders gathered for the first-ever National Forestry Conference at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston earlier this month.

The conference attracted the participation of foresters, public and private sector investors, representatives of academia, civil society actors, together with representatives from local forest management committees islandwide; and was undertaken as part of a European Union (EU)-funded project to support productivity, growth and sustainability in Jamaica’s forest sector.

It was also a site to identify opportunities for increasing the economic benefits of forests without compromising their social and environmental benefits.

“With climate change being such a major threat, effective management of precious forest reserves is key for sustainable development,” noted EU Ambassador to Jamaica, Marianne Van Steen, in a news release to media on the event.

“Striking a balance between forest conservation and harnessing the economic potential of the forests is critical for small island developing states like Jamaica,” she added.

Conservator of forests and chief executive officer for the Forestry Department, Ainsley Henry, said the conference was “a critical first step” in their efforts to “energise and ignite the growth and development of the local forestry sector”.

“We have so much potential, and the conference’s focus is designed to help us get there. The conference is also intended to start the process of bringing improved structure and greater efficiency to the sector so that we can, not only accurately enumerate its contribution to national growth and development, but also stimulate it,” he noted.

Among the topics explored at the event was ‘Unlocking the Forestry Value Chain’, which looked at local timber production and related issues such as conversion efficiency, pricing and certification, in addition to an examination of the largely untapped forest recreation potential.

The conference was also an opportunity to showcase products and services currently generated within the sector and to highlight support services that enable the sector.