The Cigarette Company of Jamaica (CCJ) recently joined forces with the Forestry Department to launch a reforestation project for the Wallenford Forest Reserve, located in the foothill of the Blue Mountain Range.

CCJ’s contribution of J$1.2 million, will allow for various species of trees to be replanted, covering 10 hectares of total 150 hectares of land which was devastated by Hurricane Gilbert and Allen.

The lack of trees in the reserve has caused numerous landslides, flooding and a sharp reduction in the bird population. The area is also faced with the challenge of small farmers squatting on the land, clearing away patches for personal use and destroying the natural vegetation

Among the trees to be planted is the blue mahoe – Jamaica’s national tree, silky oak and Cupressus tree.

“The land was previously leased to the the Coffee Board and when the industry went down in the 1990s, so too did the state of the land,” conservator of forest, Marilyn Headley told the Observer.

“Through this partnership with CCJ, we want to bring back the forests to the good old day,” she added.

The Wallenford property was gezetted as a Forest Reserve in 1964 and forms part of the larger Blue and John Crow Mountain Forest Reserve which is also a national park. The area is jointly managed by the Forestry Department and the Jamaica Conservation Development Trust (JCDT).

The property falls within the Buff Bay-Pencar Watershed Management Unit and is approximately 26 kilometres south of Buff Par, Portland and eight kilometres north of New Castle, St Andrew. The total area of the Wallenford Reserve is approximately 150 hectares.

Already, 1,300 blue mahoe seedlings have been planted over five acres of the land, which, according to Headley, will take approximately 40 years to mature.

Forestor, Llewellyn Hall said the next planting season will begin in early spring, but preparation of the land will continue up until thattime.

Meanwhile JCDT’s executive director, Susan Otuokon said the initiative is helping her agency to achieve its goals.

“Deforestation is a major threat to the park so reforesting the area is an effective way to manage the park,”she said.

Meanwhile CCJ’s environment, health and safety manager, Hyacinth James said the joint initiative was a “tangible way” of honouring the company’s commitment to the environment.

“Aspects of CCJ’s environmental policy is to protect the environment,” she told the Observer. “We use natural resources in our processes and products and we are concerned about the thinning of the ozone layer and the greenhouse gas effect.” – AM