Haiti aiming to plant 1.2 million trees in a single day

This is the first time the Haitian government has acknowledged – through actions and words – the country’s ecological fragility. Despite years of warnings from international observers and environmental groups, the government’s only tree-planting campaign so far was a small, scattered initiative during the 1980s, when Jean-Claude ‘Baby Doc’ Duvalier ruled.

Martelly’s administration has declared 2013 the “year of the environment.” This year’s carnival slogan was the Creole phrase “Yon ayisyen, yon pye bwa,” which translates to “one Haitian, one tree.”

Those in the agronomy and nursery industry are not as optimistic about the government’s plans. Agronomist Jude Lauriston and nursery manager Bernard Felix say they fervently hope the the tree-planting campaign is a success, but worry about the government's lack of planning.

Mr. Felix’s nursery Plantules et Semence Tropicale is one of the private nurseries from which the government plans to buy the saplings. Less than a month before the big launch, Felix says he had "only got an informal order for 100,000 mango, orange, mahogany, cedar, and avocado trees."

“This is not the way to do it,” says Felix, who has managed nurseries for nearly 30 years. “A contract for plants would be the first step. Then, they should tell us exactly when they need them. We have no problem supplying 2 million plants every three months,” he says.

But officials insist they have a well-thought-out plan, citing agreements with neighboring countries like Cuba and the Dominican Republic to import seedlings. “We will have 24.5 million trees a year from community nurseries, 1 million seedlings from the Dominican Republic. We haven’t negotiated a figure with Cuba yet but can get seedlings from there, and we will buy the rest from private nurseries,” says Mr. Ligonde.

Forests should get a rest

Ecologist Joel Timyan who works with the Audubon Society Haiti, founded a decade ago by professionals concerned about the degradation of Haiti’s ecosystem, is doubtful the government can achieve its stated goals, as well.  Not only does the country face basic challenges like providing eco-friendly fuel to its impoverished citizens, there are important historical issues that stand in the way. “Only when the rules of tree planting and access to land are clearly understood” by Haiti’s many land users can a program like this succeed, Mr. Timyan says.  

He says for this project to work, the land must be allowed to “rest” long enough for trees to grow and forests to develop.

“This takes longer than an election cycle,” Timyan says.

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