Dominica celebrating International Day of Forests today March 21st under theme “Forest & Energy”

​Dominica joins the rest of the world in celebrating International Day of Forest today March 21st under the theme “Forest and Energy”; a timely reminder of the importance of the sustainable use of the Forest.
 
The Forest of Dominica is being utilized for a variety of reasons including
tourism development, watershed protection, wildlife conservation, charcoal and lumber production, non-timber products and mitigating against climate change among others.
 
According to a release, Dominica can boast not only about the fact that it has in excess of 60% vegetative cover, but also the country with perhaps the greatest percentage of Protected Areas (21%) in the hemisphere and a forest ecosystem which has proven itself to be both relevant and resilient, bearing in mind ravages caused by Hurricane David some 38 years ago and most recently Tropical Storm Erika.
 
Among activities planned is press conference at the main office of the 
Forestry Wildlife and Parks Division and a pre-recorded television programme which will be aired today. The Division says it is also in the process of engaging in reforestation activities under the OECS/ Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA) project in the following areas – Jimmit, Tarreau, and Scottshead as part of Rehabilitation of the dry scrub woodland to combat invasive plant species.