‘Conman’ reportedly sold trees from forest estate in St Mary

The Forestry Department is probing into an illegal timber harvesting operation at Cape Clear Forest Estate in St Mary.

A statement from the department on Friday said its preliminary investigations revealed that the loggers were conned by an individual who claimed to own the property, and ‘sold’ them the trees.

The Forestry Department said it received the support of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) on Thursday in completing the seizure and removal of more than 900 pieces of illegally harvested timber from Cape Clear Forest Estate.

The pieces of wood which were sawn into planks, were discovered during a routine patrol of the forest estate on October 15.

According to Senior Director of Forest Enforcement Services at the Forestry Department, Tanika Stewart, upon discovery of the illegal logging operation, the team proceeded to affix notices of seizure and mark the items.

"The officers also made a report to the Richmond Police Station to ensure the police are aware in the event of attempts to remove the lumber before the agency commenced (the) said process," Stewart said.

The agency stated that it completed the removal of the lumber over two days, ending on Thursday of last week.

"The total number of lumber removed at the end of the operation was 927 pieces - 804 pieces of board and 133 pieces of planks," the Forestry Department reported.

It added that over 50 per cent of the lumber was Spanish elm, while other species identified were deal, also known as popnut, and sweetwood.

"Preliminary investigations indicate that the operation was well organised and took place over several weeks," the agency said.

"Additionally, it has been found that the people who cut the lumber had purchased the stands of trees from an individual who claimed ownership of the forested property," it stated.

Meanwhile, Stewart is encouraging persons to do their due diligence when purchasing timber, as well as ensuring that the individual selling the item is authorised to do so.

"I want to encourage private landowners with boundaries adjoining the forest estates to confirm their boundaries before carrying out any activity on their property," she said, adding that this will also "prevent instances where trees from forest reserves are removed".

Stewart described the seizure as a demonstration of the agency's commitment to stamping out illegal logging in the forest reserves.

"When trees are cut in this wanton fashion, it disrupts ecosystems and reduces the functions trees provide in sequestering carbon, supporting water supply, and even serving as a home for many other flora and fauna which are critical parts of the ecosystem," Stewart shared.

She said the agency continues its joint investigation with the JCF into the incident.

The Forestry Department is the Government agency responsible for the management and protection of Government-owned forests, which include forest reserves and forest management areas.

Approximately 48 per cent (527,394 hectares) of Jamaica is classified as forests, and the agency manages just over 122,000 hectares of this amount of forest cover.