Tree Planting Drive

In an effort to restore the tree cover of Grand Cayman, a great deal of which was destroyed during Hurricane Ivan, the National Trust, in conjunction with the Earth Week Committee, will host a tree planting drive at schools island-wide.

Working on the project since October last year, the Trust has 46 native trees that are at least 6 ft high, plus 187 smaller ones, to be distributed for planting on Friday, 22 April, to celebrate Earth Day, Saturday 23 April.

The trees were selected for their historical and environmental importance, and each one will feature an educational plaque listing its unique characteristics and uses, said Mr. Frank Roulstone of the National Trust.

The project has also gathered support from the private sector with Deutsche Bank (Cayman) Ltd. providing funding since December last year. CUC will be assisting by drilling holes for the trees at the schools.

This event will also be a first for the newly created National Tree Planting and Preservation Committee (NTPPC) under the chairmanship of Chief Agricultural and Veterinarian Officer Dr Alfred Benjamin.

The NTPPC is supporting the Trust’s endeavour by coordinating the resources of various government departments: The Education Department is disseminating information and coordinating school participation; the Department of Environment will help to transport the trees, while the Department of Agriculture is offering its technical capabilities as a resource, along with donating 150 cubic yards of peat moss, to the project.

This cooperative effort underscores one of the key objectives of the NTPPC under the chairmanship of the Dr. Benjamin, and that is to liaise with all groups sharing the committee’s aims, thereby maximizing resources and avoiding duplication of projects.

The National Trust’s Earth Day tree planting drive will also serve to promote the use of native plant species. For this ongoing project, the Trust has already ordered, through the Botanic Park, the propagation of several hundred native trees for next year. This will in turn help the Botanic Park with its own recovery, as the National Trust will pay in advance for the seedling programme.