Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Sen. Hon. Matthew Samuda, today launched the National School Tree Planting Competition at the Forestry Department’s Constant Spring Road offices.

Addressing the participants at the event, Minister Samuda said the launch of the competition is a particularly important investment for our youth.

“This is an excellent initiative that acknowledges and recognizes the important role our schools have, in making sure that our children are not just highly educated, but highly conscious of the role that they have within our society, within our country and certainly within our world. Jamaicans are a highly competitive people and I stand firmly behind the belief that one of the ways that we are going to recruit Jamaicans to environmental action is through getting their competitive spirit going” Minister Samuda stated.

The Minister further noted that this latest activity by the Agency is intended to provide more support to the National Tree Planting Initiative that was launched by Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness in 2019.

“It is our intention that we hit the three million tree target before the 60th anniversary of the nation is up.  We can then recraft a new one”, he said, adding that “getting schools active and competitive on it, will indeed help us to meet our target”.

Minister Samuda also called for private sector groupings to increase their environmental stewardship through similar competitive means.

“We would love to see that when they have these lovely galas at the end of the year and they acknowledge best corporate citizen, and best in class, that there is an award from all the private sector groupings for those who have done the most for the environment within their space and I can think of no better initiative over the next 12 months than to evaluate that work in the environment by how many trees they have planted”.

The National School Tree Planting Competition will be open to schools at the early childhood, primary and secondary levels and tertiary level students. The schools or student that propagates and plants the most fruit and ornamental trees will win the competition.

Winning schools or students will earn cash prizes valued at $50,000 to $300,000 in the following categories:

1. Most Trees Planted
2. Most Innovative School
3. Most Outstanding Student
4. Most Outstanding Teacher
5. Most Outstanding Student of Agricultural Institution

The NTPI with a timeline of three million trees in three years, recognizes that the health, economic and social well-being of Jamaicans is directly linked to the state of the country’s natural resources and the environmental quality.

Trees planted and maintained must be submitted to the Forestry Department via the 876trees mobile app (Forestry Department’s Tree Tracker mobile application) to be counted at the end of the competition, or via a completed log emailed to fdinfo@forestry.gov.jm by February 28, 2023.

The official awards ceremony will be held on International Day of Forests, Tuesday, March 21, 2023.

                                     -30-