IN the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl, CEO of the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) Theresa Rodriguez-Moodie is urging citizens not to completely cut down or “massacre” trees in their clean-up process.

“A lot of trees were damaged during Hurricane Beryl as would be expected in any major hurricane, and I know that some of the trees also caused damage to structures. I think one of the concerns that I have going forward is that while we are cleaning up, we don’t completely cut down and eliminate trees,” said Rodriguez-Moodie.

“Trees play an important role in keeping the environment cool and many other things in terms of purifying the air. Oftentimes after these kind of events, you kind of think that they are so destructive or they cause so much issues, and some people take the route of not wanting to replant trees or not wanting to keep trees, but I think it’s important that we understand the role of trees and continue to keep them in our environment,” she told the
Jamaica Observer.

The Category 4 hurricane, which passed Jamaica on July 3, had strong winds that blew down trees, causing much destruction across the island.

According to the National Works Agency, as of July 9, they received reports of 476 road sections islandwide that were blocked either by fallen trees or utility poles. The Jamaica Public Service (JPS) said that power supply was also impacted during and after the storm in several parishes due to trees that have fallen on power lines.

Additionally, a 26-year-old woman from Hanover was also killed when a tree limb fell on her during Hurricane Beryl.

Despite the destruction these fallen trees caused, Rodriguez-Moodie wants focus on the environmental impact of felling trees.

“After a hurricane, when we are trimming the trees that have been damaged, it’s important to not just completely massacre and cut back a tree because when you do that, you can also affect the tree’s ability to grow back properly,” she said.

The CEO further noted that the loss of trees means there are areas of land which are now open, making them prone to landslides and erosion, and further destruction of trees can worsen the situation.

“I think also when we’re discarding, I want to caution people not to burn the tree branches because open burning is illegal and it can cause further issues. Other than the fact that you could potentially cause the fire to spread and damage other people’s property, you could also cause health impacts as well in terms of air pollution,” she warned.

Touching on the topic of climate change and its impacts, the environmentalist said that while replanting trees must be a priority, it is important to plant the right trees.

“It’s not about replanting with something like a palm tree or something like an ornamental bush because they don’t play the same type of role in the environment. The trees are important in terms of keeping the environment cool and all the ecosystem services they provide, but not all trees are the same, and so we have to not be focusing on the easier fixes,” said Rodriguez-Moodie.

“Trees are so important, especially as climate change worsens and the place is getting hotter and hotter. We need to be considering this,” she stressed, adding that replanting also protects the topsoil and prevent issues such as landslides.