Beyond this problem of non-secure fire of (fresh) bush in residential area, I have a question: Is this the landscape that we want in Treasure Beach?



I have to admit I don't understand the expression "cleaning the land" this way. By the way, i didn't know that Treasure Beach lands were dirty, but in any case a land cleaned BY A BULDOZER looks more like a bombed field and a war landscape than something "clean" (and that for months, specifically with the poor amount of rain here down).


If we continue to do it like this, soon Treasure Beach is going to look like this:


Why? Top soil is the most fertile portion of the soil, for farming it is very important, like to grow any plant. Bulldozer it and you just take the best part of the cake, trow it away and prepare a good desert (and not dessert!) And fertilizer is not going to "repair" that, just helping shortly doing worst for the soil on the long term.


Grass and bush protect the soil (and first the top soil) against erosion and keep the humidity (and God knows how we need it here!). Erosion comes from rain, wind (less trees = more wind, more wind = more evaporation of the humidity). Erosion means poor land and soon naked land.
Goats can forget diner, birds already search for new house and pantry: no more food, no more nesting area. Sad Great Pond… (here they have the last party after the passage of the bulldozer, tomorrow it's finished: diet!)


I know it's private land and the owner is free to bomb it (if it's secure for neighborhood) but there are maybe other solutions for same result, economically better on the long term for him, especially if he wants to sell it.
We can reduce this by "cleaning" land by hand (this method is keeping the grass and likkle bush), by burning little heaps, by keeping the biggest maca-trees and by replanting trees as soon as possible, even on land which is not directly used.

The difference between a land "cleaned" by bulldozer (more than one month ago, it is going to stay naked for a while) and a land cleaned by hand:



By the way, we are looking for a piece of land out of the future desert of Old Wharf … all propositions are welcome!

Don't get carried away. You should not take pictures of people's private property and posting them on the Net with unfair criticisms.

Was permission received to take the pictures? Isn't there a law against trespassing and violating people's privacy?

Archie, Every little part of the world can be seen on Google map these days. No one was clearly identified, no harm done.

What Veronica posts is true and relevant for all who breathe, visit, and live in TB. It is a fact. Such methods of clearing land are damaging, destructive,and harmful in the short and long term. I understand it is necessary to clear land, we cleared land for our house,and when one lives in a developing country one must expect development. But bulldozing groundcover, exposing bare land to erode, and rampant burning green wood and plastic are not the best choice, especially on a windy day when there is no water in the pipes!!! Any land owner who burns in the above way is showing great disrespect toward his neighbors who choke on the smoke, stamp out burning refuse that blows in their property, and fear for their own house burn!!

And this is the Treasure Beach Women's Group with the fire coming right to the fence line on January 14. I hate to think what would have happened if the bulldozer wasn't there to plow down the fire before it got any closer.



Notice the blackened branches of the Acacia tree to see how close the fire got.



Veronique's point is a valid one. There is a right and wrong way to clear land. As we all are becoming more environmentally aware we are realizing that some of our old ways and habits are having long term negative environmental impact and when we can we need to learn these lessons and change our methods.

The smoke from these burning ventures envelops all of the Old Wharf and Calabash Bay areas and the ashes fly everywhere. We are just asking persons to reevaluate some of the old methods and step up to the challenge of taking better care of the environment and our neighbors. We can develop our minds as well as our lands.

And don't worry, I have permission to photograph the Women's Group house.

Can someone give some good advice on how to clear these lots without burning or bulldozer it's oveous that what's been done is a big problem.

Archie. There is no law broken in taking these pictures. Please have a look at privacy laws as they pertain to Jamaica before you make an unsubstantiated comment. Secondly, asthma is rampant in Treasure Beach and these bush fires go on for days. Like it or not, Treasure Beach is tourism driven and when our visitors see this wanton destruction of land and nesting areas for birds and other wildlife, the are horrified. We Jamaicans should be horrified too. Yes, clean the land, but why take out every living thing and then choke everyone out with fire. It is inconsiderate and thoughtless.

Don't get carried away. You should not try to change the topic with unfair criticisms. That rhetorical trick is too old, too obvious and used too many times by lawyers and politicians.

Should you be familiar with Old Wharf you would see that the pictures were taken from the roadside ... no trespassing involved.

Precision: we are talking here about "unused" land awaiting sale or unknow use

to "want to know": by cleaning by hand (by machette), which is the traditionnal way in fact, cutting only the maca-tree but saving the big one. Ideally using a wood shredder to reduce the tree in wood chips that you can use to mulch or to compost (wood chips are salable). If not (I know wood or chipper shredder is a investment but certainly no more than a bulldozer), burning LITTLE heap of wood in safe conditions (will say not all the bush, grass and trees around).

Cleaning by hand take more time but give work to more poeple, is more efficient and is cheaper at the end.
In front of my yard there is a land "cleaning" by bulldozer one year ago and the maca come already my shoulders. Another land I know in Great Bay, cleaning by hand 3years ago have now some likkle maca easy to manage.

to Archie and Just Curious: I confirm that pictures were taken from roadside (except the desert one ;-) (and I hope this is not for tomorrow...). Let try to change the things positively...

Maca!

The point is: this matter could have been dealt with without resorting to public criticism. Your observations are not all technically correct. The machete use and the effect on regrowth is not true as in most cases the young trees are only cut low and not dug out by the roots, and they spring back up in a flash. The occasional burning does no harm to the soil, but we all can appreciate the annoyance and the danger.
The issue is not one of trespassing, but rather one of privacy. Taking the picture is one thing, publishing it on the WWW is quite another.

It is a fact that the methods being used, bulldozing most or all vegetation, burning green brush,using gas or other accellerent to make the green burn, and burning wantonly without regard to wind, drought, and no water in pipes....it is damaging to the environment. It hurts your lungs, and your childrens health. It hurts the economy of TB because tourists hate it, and the soil is unable to grow anything but mucca, after its been soaked in gas and the topsoil blows away from losing the groundcover. The birds are gone..no where to roost. Doing this slash and burn is NOT being good stewarts of the land. It is not good for TB.

This happens so frequently: as a home owner in Old Wharf,I am sick and tired of the barren ugliness,the disrespect to the land and the people,and the danger of it.I realize that this kind of land clearing is a deeply ingrained behavior.There is probably no male in Jamaica who does not have a "fire that got away from him" story.[edited by TB.Ne}I speak from experience.He once thought it a good idea to install some very picturesque fire hydrants.He should make them functional.We do pay enough taxes to expect this.It is very frightening to be engulfed in smoke and hear the flames crackling as fire approaches your house. And people should NOT BURN on days that are windy,when there is no water..Antiquated behavior to say the least.Sixty years ago,huge fires would engulf the mountain,and people would flee their homes trying to save themselves and their livestock.Learn to love Acacia,native plants are the way to go.

Who own that land?
What about people with asthma and other lung problems.
God have mercy. No consideration what-so-ever.

I am a resident in Old Wharf and in fact rent a house from the James family, who have been responsible for what has been happening in the area. I have had very strong words with both Ralph and Tony, whom I have known a very long time. I have managed in spite of our words to (a) remain friends and (b) still have a place to live. We have had many discussions and many arguments about this situation and Mr. Tony James has become very open to alternative solutions. There is a responsibility on his part to keep his land 'clean', but agrees that there is potentially a better way to go about it.

So having said that, there will be a meeting on Wednesday at 2:30 pm at the Women's Group with Tony James to see if there are some solutions. This meeting was suggested by Mr. James so he is willing to hear suggestions, and I believe Veronique has some very valid ones.

So Archie, maybe making this public on this forum has had it's desired results. By the way a bulldozer doesn't take out the roots either.

Well done Annabelle and Tony James. I am looking forward to a fruitful meeting.

thank you. looking forward to finding solutions

Sustainable Development?

Respect to Mister James for his proposition. I'm sure it will be a constructive discussion leading to positive solutions.

Thanks to Archie to precise the technique I tried to expose: indeed, when "cleaning" maca by machette, digging the roots is a important step!

How "revolting" is the long history of fires in J'ca, and remember the Sugar Plantations set off a blazing precedent & example to follow. Once we spoke of a "planter class" (Masters of the Sweet), now in modern parlance referred to as "cane farmers"...setting fires at just the right time to extract the highest value of sugar was an exacting proposition.
Therefore, if the servile class or competitors wanted to sabotage the planters efforts & profits, early fires would do the trick.

Although clearing a relatively small yard or property lot for building and gardening can't reasonably be compared to unsustainable Slash & Burn Agriculture practices, repeated use of such methods affecting undisturbed soils could bring on varied depleting negative results to an existing environment that has survived the test of time.

Many critics claim that slash and burn agriculture contributes to a number of reoccurring problems specific to the environment. They include:

Deforestation: When practiced by large populations, or when fields are not given sufficient time for vegetation to grow back, there is a temporary or permanent loss of forest cover.

Erosion: When fields are slashed, burned, and cultivated next to each other in rapid succession, roots and temporary water storages are lost and unable to prevent nutrients from leaving the area permanently.

Nutrient Loss: For the same reasons, fields may gradually lose the fertility they once had. The result may be desertification, a situation in which land is infertile and unable to support growth of any kind.

Biodiversity Loss: When plots of land area cleared, the various plants and animals that lived there are swept away. If a particular area is the only one that holds a particular species, slashing and burning could result in extinction for that species. Because slash and burn agriculture is often practiced in tropical regions where biodiversity is extremely high, endangerment and extinction may be magnified.
The negative aspects above are interconnected, and when one happens, typically another happens also. These issues may come about because of irresponsible practices of slash and burn agriculture by a large amount of people. Knowledge of the ecosystem of the area and agricultural skills could prove very helpful in the safe, sustainable use of slash and burn agriculture.

Slash & Burn Agriculture
http://geography.about.com/od/urbaneconomicgeography/a/slashburn.htm

Observer: Impact of Cane Fires
www.jamaicaobserver.com/westernnews/6440_Frome-tells-students-about-impact-of-ca ne-fires