Planting to Improve the Quality of Life

Planting Trees Will Help All Virgin Islanders!

Not many people think of the Virgin Islands as needing more trees. It seems that everywhere you look, there is bush encroaching on developed land. Along the edges of our cleared land grows some of the worst kinds. Catch and Keep (that nasty vine with the hooked thorns that are her namesake), Acacia (pronounced 'Ka-Sha' in the local dialect) trees, and endless numbers of vines hardly scratch the surface of the 'weeds' that impose themselves on us.

The truth is, Mother Nature doesn't want to see bare ground. If the dirt has sun shining on it, seeds will find their way, and sometimes this is just plain troublesome.

Maybe there is something to be learned here. If we constantly find ourselves fighting an uphill battle against the bush, let us try going her way. The more trees we take away, the more erosion will take away our top soil. Then it becomes even harder to plant. However if we start planting now, this trend can be alleviated. There is an old saying: 'When is the best time to plant a tree? Yesterday. When is the next best time? Now.' And this will hold true forever. Only a tree planted years ago provides fruit or proper shade. 

Tomorrow there will be ore to come on planting in our dry climate and erosion for those who need help!

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