Haiti: in need of trees

American Forests, Summer-Autumn, 2004

The lack of trees on Haiti's hilltops and valleys contributed greatly to destruction caused by late-May floods, according to the Associated Press.

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AP estimates more than 90 percent of Haiti is deforested; David Adams, director of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in Haiti, told the wire service that "an estimated 10 to 20 million [trees] are cut down each year."

Haitians are members of the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and have long used wood supplies to fuel their homes.

But trees help control runoff by soaking water in through their roots and providing sturdy support against erosion. Without trees to slow their progress, the May floodwaters ripped through villages like Mapou and Fond Verettes, causing incalculable damage and claiming the lives of more than 2,600 Haitians and Dominicans who share the tiny island.

For Haiti's poorest communities, the issue surrounding trees has never been one of environmental protection, but rather one of basic survival. Even trees sacred to the Voodoo religion, practiced in some parts of Haiti, have not escaped the ravages of the ax.

AP reports that the Haitian government is considering the importation of either propane or wood in a move to hold off further environmental destruction.

Haiti's undersecretary of the environment Yves Andre Wainright admits the only way to halt deforestation is through education and "incentives" for the underclass.

"There is a lot to be done and we only have so much funding," says Adams of USAID, which has planted 60 million trees in Haiti over 20 years. "We hope that with the new attention to Haiti, there will be more of a focus on the environment and reforestation."

A UN peacekeeping force was scheduled to arrive on the island in June and begin patrolling the forests to help stop logging.