Forestry Awareness Week, the initiative of the Ministry of the Environment and Housing’s Forestry Unit, has been a week of activities to educate the public on the significant benefits provided by forests, and the trees we enjoy in our natural environment. Forestry awareness is essential as forests are important in preserving the balance of nature, and trees in the community promote stability and a comfortable living environment.

Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Perry G. Christie signed a Proclamation declaring the week of March 16 - 21, 2015 ‘Forestry Awareness Week’ in The Bahamas and officially opened a Forestry Awareness Symposium at the College of The Bahamas on March 18. A highlight of the symposium was the planting of a lignum vitae tree (the national tree) on the college campus, in front of the Harry C. Moore Library.

The Forestry Unit designed a number of activities to commemorate the week and educate the public, including: 

o School visits (public and private schools throughout The Bahamas).

o Television appearances namely Bahamas at Sunrise on March 16 at 6:30 am.

o Radio appearances -- Island FM (102.9 FM) March 13 at 8:30 am, Love 97 on March 17 at 7:20 am, Peace FM (107.5 FM) Environment Eyes radio show on March 18 at 12 p.m.

o Tree plantings in schools and communities.

o Forestry Symposium at the Performing Arts Centre of The College of The Bahamas, March 18, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

o Original Forestry Unit Documentary on the “History of Forestry/Logging in The Bahamas.” The documentary will be screened at The Bahamas National Trust on March 21, 6-8 p.m.

o Selfie Competition for all school-aged children. Snap a creative photo of yourself and post to the Bahamas Forestry Facebook page to win an awesome prize -- before April 22 (Earth Day).

As the Forestry Unit is still in its developmental stage it has partnered with other agencies around The Bahamas to assist in getting the message across. Each partner was guided by the Forestry Unit and given a template on how to execute the week of activities.

Partners such as the Ministry for Grand Bahama have spearheaded the efforts on that island. On Abaco, Friends of the Environment led the week with help from the Forestry Unit staff member present on the island. On Andros, the Forestry Unit in association with Andros Conservancy and Trust had school visits and tree plantings where possible. On Eleuthera, The One Eleuthera Foundation and The Bahamas National Trust brought their activities to fruition.

The Forestry Unit has a presence on New Providence, Andros and Abaco, and is working to hire more staff to facilitate all of the islands.

Forests are essential for life on Earth and are affectionately known as the lungs of the earth, providing oxygen and absorbing carbon dioxide. On this ‘World Forestry Day 2015,’ the Forestry Unit is urging Bahamians to become serial planters and plant a tree today to save our environment!

World Forestry Day originated at the 23rd General Assembly of the European Confederation of Agriculture in 1971 as a means of celebrating and promoting the significant benefits of forests. Later that year, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) lent support to the idea, believing the event would further contribute to building public awareness on the importance of forests. Subsequently, it was agreed that World Forestry Day should be observed annually and numerous countries adopted the practice.

March 21, the autumnal equinox in the Southern Hemisphere, and the vernal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, was chosen as the day to be celebrated. An equinox is when night and day are of approximately equal length.

The Bahamas possesses substantial forest resources, comprising pine forests, coppice hardwoods and mangrove forests, with approximately 80% of forest resources on state lands (Crown land) and the remaining 20% on private lands.

Pine forest is considered the most productive of the three vegetation types, and is a protected species. Coppice (hardwood) forests are found in the central and southern Bahamas, while the mangrove ecosystems dominate on the leeward shores of most islands. Bahamian forests need promotion and protection because from the 1700s almost all of the nation’s large-sized valuable hardwood species were exported. Up to the early 1970s, the pine forests were harvested for pulpwood. Today, Bahamian forests are slowly rebounding and forestry itself is in a revival.

The Forestry Act 2010, then the Forestry (Amendment) Act of 2014 and its associated stringent Regulations 2014, are intended to protect Bahamian forest resources. The Act established the Forestry Unit, which is located in the Ministry of Environment and Housing. Its mandate is to develop the forest resources of The Bahamas to their maximum potential by applying sound, scientific, and sustained yield forest management principles and concepts. A National Forest Plan and Forest Management Plans for National Forests will be prepared with guidelines for managing Bahamian forests. The Forestry Unit's focus is to develop small-scale forest-based industries to reduce wood imports.

Forests are important for biodiversity conservation, ecotourism, soil and water conservation, microclimate regulation and control of climate change, agro-forestry development, and environmental enhancement.