Dear Editor,

The value of trees in the hurricane season should never be underestimated.

In 2019, Prime Minister Andrew Holness initiated a three-million, tree-planting drive with a target of three years. By September of 2023, 2.7 million trees were already planted under the national initiative, with the remaining 300,000 to be planted by the end of 2023. Quite commendable.

According to Ainsley Henry, CEO and conservator of forests, “the severe drought in the middle of 2023 coupled with the beginning of COVID posed a challenge” in the progress of attaining the slated target.

Continued tree planting should be encouraged, and specific areas should be targeted to bring awareness to the public about the importance of trees. Homeowners who can facilitate planting of trees should also make this a priority.

During the onslaught of Hurricane Beryl we would have seen that the trees took a battering, as they, in some way, ward off the destruction of houses and other structures. For those who lost their roofs, were there trees in close proximity to those house? If not, would they have made a difference in preventing damage and loss? Perhaps.

Importantly, also, is the prevention of soil erosion in such a catastrophe. Some trees in certain areas did not budge under Beryl’s brutal battering. Soil erosion would have meant destruction of properties and even loss of lives.

And what of the planting of trees in major towns where some areas resemble concrete jungles? Too often there is ground breaking for erection of buildings with scant regard for planting/replanting of trees or creating green spaces. Planting of trees for aesthetics and provision of shade should also be encouraged, with the aim of controlling overgrowth and consistent maintenance enforced. The planting of shrubs should also be considered which is also aesthetically appealing.

Shouldn’t we now take tree-planting more seriously? Plant a tree today.

Judith Drakes

St Elizabeth

jadrakes60@gmail.com