The Authorities of Jamaica has acquired a tree-relocation gadget valued at $76 million, which can make it attainable to protect mature timber when executing main infrastructure tasks.
The heavy-duty machine, with a specialised tree spade, is designed to assist cut back tree loss, protect biodiversity, and assist sustainable growth and resilience.
It’s the first of its sort within the Caribbean and can allow the Forestry Division to soundly and effectively dig up, relocate and replant a few of the mature timber that growth actions would have in any other case destroyed.
Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, who commissioned the gadget on the Workplace of the Prime Minister on Monday (June 9), mentioned the gear will be certain that “as we pursue the constructed atmosphere, as we pursue the widening of our roads for our financial growth and effectivity, we will additionally act pretty much as good stewards of our pure property, our pure atmosphere”.
“We will use know-how to resolve this battle that will emerge ever so usually as we widen current roads that we will transfer the timber and replant them and so they have a 90 per cent success price of surviving,” he identified.
Dr. Holness mentioned that the highway community can also be a hall for timber.
“All of the roads that we’re going to be doing now, we’re going to make sure that we’ve got… a cooling impact of timber being planted alongside our corridors. Now that cooling impact is sweet from an environmental standpoint,” he added.
The Prime Minister famous that whereas the gear will reside on the Forestry Division, it is going to be used for tree-relocation actions throughout the island.
“Although it’s acquired particularly to enrich the road-widening tasks, now and again it’s possible you’ll have to relocate timber for quite a lot of causes… so, you have got that functionality now,” Dr. Holness mentioned.
Chief Govt Officer (CEO) of the Forestry Division and Conservator of Forests, Ainsley Henry, welcomed the gadget, noting that somewhat than merely chopping down timber, “we now have the potential to maneuver them, to avoid wasting them, to maintain them rising, particularly in our city areas the place they’re wanted probably the most”.
Recognising that Jamaica is experiencing an unprecedented development increase, with housing developments, infrastructure tasks and highway expansions, Mr. Henry mentioned it’s accepted that this type of speedy growth and progress comes with environmental dangers.
“This tree-relocation gadget, due to this fact, involves us at an opportune time as we search to minimise these environmental pressures and cut back these impacts. Tree relocation is a step in direction of bridging the hole between gray infrastructure and inexperienced infrastructure, between growth and conservation.
“It permits us to realize our nationwide aspirations and meet our progress targets whereas nonetheless honouring our commitments to environmental stewardship, inclusive and sustainable growth,” he mentioned.
Mr. Henry mentioned that with this piece of specialized gear, Jamaica “is taking tangible steps in direction of decreasing the lack of mature, climate-resilient timber, supporting city greening and beautification, selling biodiversity inside developed areas, strengthening our forest cowl in a sustainable means, enhancing the liveability of our city areas and bettering the well being and well-being of our residents”.
