TREE OF LIFE

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The “Tree of Life” is a particularly poignant symbol in Haiti. Trees are a precious, though rapidly disappearing resource, where less than 1.5% of natural growth remains, due to deforestation. The culprits: poor land management practices and grinding poverty. Between land being cleared for subsistence farming - which constitutes two-thirds of Haitian labor activity - and wood being harvested to provide 70% of the nation’s fuel, the tropical forests of Haiti are virtually gone. The upshot is topsoil erosion amounting to 36 million tons annually, accelerated land degradation, silting lakes and waterways, increased greenhouse gases, and deaths numbering in the thousands due to mudslides when heavy weather strikes. One man wrote of the village of his childhood with melancholy: “I was born in a small village in southern Haiti. I thought it was a paradise. Though there were no angels flying around, I could see many different types of birds. Within a minute’s walk of my house, I could see three flowing rivers and the mountains were green. When I last visited my village, it was all brown. There was no vegetation. Most of the trees I had known as a boy had been cut down. The birds had all left – there was no place for them to nest. The rivers were almost dried out. My neighbors had moved and many people that I had known as a child were dead. My village is like a desert.” According to Brian Schaaf of “Haitian Innovation” there are solutions to the problem, starting with the promotion of more efficient types of fuel. Solar and wind energy development have significant potential as does using animal waste to form burnable “briquettes.” Importation of LP gas has been greatly beneficial on the other side of Hispaniola in the Dominican Republic, but would require heavy subsidies in Haiti. Creating a sustainable forestry management program and linking environmental rehabilitation to livelihoods would also go a long way in redeeming the situation. If the “Tree if Life” is to be more than a just a symbol, concerted action, focused dedication, and the support of the global community are essential. The need is immediate - the time is now.