Milestones in our development
THE FORESTRY Department is the executive agency charged with managing and conserving Jamaica’s forest resources, particularly those found on Crown Lands. The organisation’s history started in 1937 when Jamaica’s forest law was passed, leading to the creation of the Forest Branch in the Lands Department. The Forest Branch was transferred to the Department of Agriculture and became the Forest Division in 1938, and in 1942, the Forest Department was created. Between 1938 and 1942, the framework for an island-wide forestry service was built. The country’s system of forest reserves was established in 1950, with the gazetting of some 78,000 hectares of Crown land.
1940s-1960s: The activities of the Forest Department from the mid-1940s through to the 1960s included reforestation programmes; boundary surveys of the forest estates, construction of roads and buildings, silviculture, forest research, and biophysical inventories of the forest estate.
1970s: Reforestation activities peaked during this period when 3,000 hectares of plantations, mostly Caribbean Pine, were established with project support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
1980s-1990s: During this period, the Forestry Department focused on the establishment of various hardwood species, including Honduras and Jamaican
Mahogany, Blue Mahoe, Cedar and Spanish Elm. The 1996 Forest Act, which replaced the 1937 legislation, emphasized reforestation, conservation and greater community participation as focus areas for the organisation.
2000-2009: During this period, the Agency concentrated on the institutional strengthening of the organisation with assistance from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) through the Trees for Tomorrow project. Emphasis was placed on community involvement in forest management and conservation. The first National Forest Management and Conservation Plan (NFMCP) was approved by Parliament in 2001, along with the Forest Policy and Forest Regulations. In 2004, the decision was taken by the Cabinet Office to transform the Forestry Department into an Executive Agency.
2010: On May 1, 2010, the Forestry Department was designated an Executive Agency, requiring it to be more customer-focused and performance-driven.
2013: The Forestry Department completed its Land-Use Assessment of forest cover, which found that 40 percent of Jamaica is classified as forests.
2017: The new Forest Policy for Jamaica was approved by Parliament, and the updating of the NFMCP, 2016 was completed.
December 2017-2018: The Forestry Department celebrates 80 years.