DESPITE an almost fatal attraction to bauxite mining in Jamaica, Noranda Bauxite has set a target of planting 200,000 trees over a three-year period, in support of the Government’s National Tree Planting p rogramme.

The trees will be planted on arable lands under the company’s care.

Noranda Bauxite’s vice-president and general manager Delroy Dell made the announcement in an address to the St Ann Chamber of Commerce on October 31 at the company’s Port Rhoades Sports Club Complex in Discovery Bay.

The national tree planting initiative was launched by Prime Minister Andrew Holness on October 4, with a commitment to plant three million trees over a period of three years.

Holness said then that it was the “political flavour of the month to do, and the trees would create a strategic path to responding to the real issues of climate change”.

Dell told the St Ann chamber that the company’s target will be contingent on the quantity of trees that can be made available by the Forestry Department, in line with the prime minister’s programme.

He said that the Noranda programme will be managed in coordination with employees, neighbouring communities, the Jamaica Agricultural Society, the Rural Agricutural Development Authority, and the Forestry Department, and will be launched at a special Noranda Sustainable Mining Expo in Discovery Bay on December 4.

The Noranda general manager said that the tree planting will be a part of an upgraded rehabilitation programme on mined-out lands, that will commence this year, with the development of a number of experimental plots in partnership with small farmers, to determine what better variety of crops can be introduced on reclaimed lands.

“Once successful, we anticipate that the programme will grow and expand to help us take land rehabilitation to improved levels of productivity, change the uninformed perceptions of ‘mining leaving holes in the ground’, and point the way for farmers to utilise modern agricultural technology to boost their yields and income,” Dell said.

“We have already seen amazing results in greenhouse technology, and are researching aquaculture technology to advance modern farming in our operational areas,” he added.

Noranda introduced greenhouse technology to farmers in its mining industry in 2009, as an alternative to crop farming in drought-stricken areas.

Since then, Noranda’s greenhouse clusters have expanded to 120 houses on rehabilitated areas at Burnt Ground, Nine Miles, Watt Town, and Tobolski, and contributions of houses to six schools in St Ann as a boost to their agriculture educational curriculum.

Noranda has also commenced on a school garden rebuilding project, since April of this year, which will accommodate fruit trees, as well as vegetable crops.

In closing, Dell told his audience that his company welcomes the opportunity to participate in the national tree planting initiative.

“Environmental protection is a fundamental principle of all aspects of Noranda’s operations, and we fully recognise the importance of being pro-active with regards to environmental preservation and agricultural transformation, which is why we have made this commitment,” he said.

Holness told the launch of National Tree Planting Day last month that the country will be investing in its future by planting trees today for a prosperous tomorrow.

He also noted that Jamaica is in the forefront of climate action, leading through the United Nations, in raising awareness and resources to aid in climate action.