We have been busy these past few months, here’s a recap of what we’ve accomplished!
“Thank you so much for all you have done for the community of Saint Louis de Sud, Haiti. The people from mountain villages all over this region came in May and July to collect the trees they requested and are so thankful for orange, grapefruit, lime, tamarind, mango, breadfruit, Haitian Oak, and Spanish Cedar.
Giving trees to local families is one of the best ways to reforest here. They are growing fruit trees all around their homes for much-needed food and shade. And, when you give to families it’s mostly the children that water the trees and carry the love for them into the next generation. 10,000 trees distributed to approximately 1000 homes. We made a big difference!”
-Karen Nicolas, Director of The Haiti Tree Project
Our History of Events March to August:
March, 2020
So far, 7,000 of 10,000 bags have been filled with soil. They should have all been filled with seeds by last Friday but rain week slowed production. Meanwhile, we distributed the first 2000 trees that were started in February just in time for the rain. Of the 10,000 bags, 5,000 will get hardwood sprouts, mostly Spanish Cedar (bottom picture) this time because they are what’s in nature right now. Enel, our nursery manager, has paid some kids a few coins to collect them off the ground under the trees.
The other 5000 bags of soil will get fruit seeds: tamarind, orange, grapefruit, lime, coconut, mango, cherry, cashew, breadfruit. Enel is buying seeds from individuals rather than from big garden stores. He spreads the word and local people sell him seeds from the fruits they have been eating. Exciting grassroots project!
So far we are buying truckloads of dirt and we are also beginning the composting process. It will take a large amount of vegetation and a huge hole to produce what we will need. Some of the fruit trees will stay 6 months in the nursery to reach maturity. Others will be ready to distribute in 2 or 3 months. The community is more than ready to continue filling bags and maintaining a full nursery. Currently, we are preparing the land for maintaining 50,000 trees in the nursery at all times.
May, 2020
Last weekend for May 1, was the Day of Trees in Haiti. They announced to all surrounding villages to come and get the Sed trees and some of the mature fruit trees from the nursery. Lots of people came trickling in all day maintaining social distancing and taking trees home. Everyone is quite happy about the project. Now, just fruit trees remain since they need more time to grow.
Members of a local organization came to help distribute the trees. Check out their video here. This is what they said:
“We are with the community organization, UGADES, here in Sucrerie. Our job is to find ways to help the local community. Currently, we care for this tree nursery with Enel Cyril. Our objective is to see how we can create vegetation canopy for Saint Louis de Sud.
We have partnered with another larger organization called ORHE, Organization Haitian of the Environment, that is now following our progress. We also have the support of the political leader, Milo Henry, who always gives funding to community projects, like transport for the trees today. He truly wants to make life better for Saint Louis de Sud. So it is our pleasure that we are here today with the hardworking manager Enel Cyril, who runs our community nursery.
Our task now is to transport these trees out to people who live too far to walk with them home and facilitate the betterment of people’s lives. With a better environment, we can live more peacefully.
We are very thankful for everyone out there who is partnering with us to cover our land with trees. Thank you.”
They have started cutting open 5000 mango seeds to remove the shell from the seed. They will be ready for planting in tree bags starting Monday. They will be filling 1000 bags a day with 6 people working. Meanwhile, Agro Nerva, our chief Agronomist, and motivational speaker is traveling all over collecting mango seeds from his congregation across many villages.
The 5000 bags of soil all got mango seeds. However, some did not survive. We planted tamarind and cashew in those, about 1000 trees.
July, 2020
The Mango and Tamarind trees looking great! Super popular. All the trees are beginning to be distributed to families all over the villages of Saint Louis de Sud!
August
A new partnership formed between The Haiti Tree Project and Haitian native Paul Leger. Paul’s vision matches that of THTP; improve the natural environment, increase food security, and empower the community through agroforestry. With your on-going support, THTP can grow seedlings that Paul’s team can transport up the mountain for his team to plant in the mountaintops of Sucrerie Henry.
After the partnership was made, work began on filling 6,000 bags which will later be planted all around Sucrerie Henry, the village where we also have our tree nursery. The dirt used to fill the bags comes from riverbeds of neighboring communities. Due to the heavy rains and unprotected soil on the mountainsides, rushing water erodes away nutritious soil perfect for nurturing seeds. We collect it and bring it to our nursery. Within a week, all the bags are filled and ready for seeds to be planted.
September
All 6,000 bags filled, seeds are beginning to be planted. Like all our projects, hardwoods and fruit trees requested by the community were planted as we strive to bring back the forests that the elders remember growing up in and restore the natural environment that once flourished.
One of the trees people love here is Spanish Cedar. These trees grow fast and straight making them a popular tree for natural fencing around cropland because it protects from wind and goats. Here we see the seeds which were dropped by mature trees and later collected off the ground by community members.
The Tamarind and Cashew seeds are already sprouting!
October
Not all seeds are planted directly into the bags. Some seeds, such as avocado and Spanish cedar, are scattered on the pile of rich soil where they sprout and then are transplanted into the seedling’s bags. After a few months, they are transplanted again on the mountain.
November
This year’s fall rainy season was unusually heavy, causing a lot of erosion and damage to the environment. Of the 6,000 bags planted, about 2,000 tamarind plants didn’t sprout. Farmers said the seeds rotted. This unexpected and unpredictable weather is exactly what we are trying to mitigate with these forests as they will reduce the strength of the rain when it hits the soil, reducing erosion and providing protection to the communities where they are grown. These unusual weather events are likely a direct result of climate change and it is important that we do what we can to reduce the damage that is being done to the communities that contribute very little to climate change but face the unfair burden of its results.
Labapen seeds were used to replace the tamarind seedlings that died from all the rain. These seeds are a common street food in Haiti, they are full of protein and served boiled with salt. They look almost like breadfruit on the outside but Labapen has this nutritious seed. By December, they will be ready to be planted on the mountain.
