Glenn Tucker | Trees are our lifeline, encourage people to plant more

“And when ye shall come into the land, and shall have planted all manner of trees for food, then shall ye count the fruit thereof as forbidden; three years shall it be as forbidden to you; it shall not be eaten … . But in the fifth year may ye eat of the fruit thereof, that it may yield unto you more richly the increase thereof: I am the Lord your God.” Leviticus 19: 23-25 .

Minister of Housing, Urban Renewal, Environment and Climate Change, Pearnel Charles Jr, is spearheading a tree-planting initiative. Everybody who I have spoken to supports the idea. What I have observed, however, is that a surprisingly large percentage of those with whom I have spoken, have no idea of why trees are important, apart from their use as lumber.

I recall, many years ago, I started walking through the hills behind eastern Harbour View. Donald Quarrie did too, but he jogged. On my first walk, I was struck by the magnificent panoramic view from that location and said to folks on my return that it would be an excellent location to build a house. Everywhere, the response was the same, “You can’t build up there, the soils are unstable.” A more learned friend of mine, who had a PhD in, well, dirt and related matters, gave me a more sophisticated analysis and concluded, “What the Forestry Department needs to do is to plant a quantity of certain types of trees up there.”

Some years later, I decided to resume my walks and saw a woman emerge from a small, half-finished house up there. I mentioned what I had heard about building on those lands. Tugging at her T-shirt, which bore a picture of a political representative on it, she declared, proudly, “Yes, but I got permission.” After that, the trees disappeared, giving way to houses of all kinds and quality in the area.

One morning, after two days of continuous rainfall, I got a call from a tenant on Southern Cross Drive – the road at the foot of those hills. He took me to the back of the property. There was a huge bolder resting there; the property was put on the market that day.

It was about this time of year, about four years later, during some really hostile weather, that a public service announcement stated that the road was blocked at St Benedict’s Church in eastern Harbour View. I went to see for myself although I knew what I would see. I was still shocked. The roads – like Lunar, Nimbus and Stellar – had become raging rivers of mud, boulders, and even a few vehicles. Persons were marooned in their homes. The deterioration of that section of Harbour View, ‘over the river’, had started in earnest. And crime followed.

IMPORTANCE OF TREES

The word ‘arbor’ comes from the Latin word for ‘tree.’ During the period that Napoleon’s armies were all over Europe, a priest, convinced of the importance of trees for health, hygiene, decoration, nature, environment and customs, decided to plant trees and build a festival around the concept.

Centuries before that, however, there was Tu BiShvat – a Jewish holiday occurring on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shevat. This year, it began at sunset on February 9 and ended the evening of February 10. Roughly translated, Tu Bisvat means ‘year of the trees’. In contemporary Israel, the day is celebrated as an ecological awareness day, and trees are planted in celebration.

Trees are already the world’s oldest living beings. Some of the oldest are to be found in California and Utah in the United States. In Utah, there is a 106-acre colony of ‘quaking aspen’ trees, thought to be one of the world’s oldest living organisms. The root system is estimated to be 80,000 years old. To put this in perspective, my readings have revealed this to be about when there was the first mention of modern humans.

In 2012, the existence and age of a bristlecone pine in California was established. It was 5,068 years old. The oldest living tree.

There is a symbiotic (mutually beneficial) relationship between trees and humans. Humans breathe in oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. Trees breathe in carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen. In one year, an acre of mature trees absorb the same amount of carbon dioxide produced when you drive your car 26,000 miles. In the same time, those trees, which absorb odours and pollutant gases and filter particulates out of the air by trapping them in their leaves and bark, can provide enough oxygen for 18 people.

Trees save water, prevent water pollution and soil erosion, provide food, mark the seasons, and provide economic opportunities. There is also a cultural side as well. One may observe that from the communities east of Kingston to Havendale in the west, each home has at least one fruit tree. At the root of these trees is planted the ‘navel string’ of a baby, born at the time – maybe 40 to 70 years ago. This custom is replicated throughout the island. It would be a good idea to revive it, minister.

Like humans, it is impossible to find two trees that are alike. Every tree, no matter how close, has a unique growing experience. That is why my friend was so disappointed when I convinced her that it was not the fault of the architect that her hardwood flooring was not uniform in design and colour. I comforted her with the knowledge that her floor can never be duplicated.

I am wondering if some clairvoyance is associated with minister Charles Jr declaring his intention to start the tree planting programme at this time. Not only is it the anniversary of that previous experience with flooding at St Benedict’s in Harbour View but the deadly consequences of this flooding has a direct relationship to the “permission” that woman got that started the deforestation of the hills in that area.

Without shrubs and trees, nothing slows down a flood. Roots open up the soil allowing water to get in instead of running along the surface. So, the interception of, as well as uptake of ground water was dramatically reduced. Flood waters, islandwide, that we saw in film clips showed brown water. That is valuable top soil which will impoverish the soil left behind.

When trees are removed from the planet, their capacity to absorb carbon dioxide is also diminished. Carbon dioxide is therefore accumulated in the earth’s stratosphere to form the Ozone layer. And that is why the earth is getting warmer every year.

When I enquired, unfortunately, the Forestry Department has no fruit trees. May I suggest that we move aggressively into a planning phase, because a tree planting programme needs planning. The society needs to be educated about proper planting and management techniques. Schools and other groups must be engaged and encouraged to sponsor a tree, or group of trees and that the initiative should start at the beginning of the next rainy season.

In the meantime, there could be essay competitions relating to trees with varying categories by age. It could start with 150 words for youngsters to 1000 words for seniors.

Minister Charles probably has the most demanding portfolio. We should not just sit back and wait for him to do everything. This initiative deserves the support and involvement of the entire country. I am sure he would welcome our input.

Glenn Tucker is an educator and a sociologist. Email: glenntucker2011@gmail.com