Jerome Baldwin-Crichton - Contributed
Jerome Baldwin-Crichton, a level-II forester who has just completed a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental sciences at Knox Community College, is looking forward to moving upwards in his field which he notes is one of the most active at the moment.
Forestry in Jamaica deals with the management of the natural resources in watershed and other critical areas. Baldwin-Crichton - a forester since 2006 - notes that now that the Forestry Department is being transformed into an executive agency, the demand for those in his line of work has increased exponentially.
His claim is backed up by human resources officer in the department, Marjorie Stevenson, who notes, "We are restructuring the agency and so we need many foresters of different grades, including wood industry, maps, geographic information systems (GIS), licensing, lumber harvesting and replanting, biology, education, nursery management, private and community forestry, legal affairs and enforcement, research, sociology and urban forestry.
Sociologist foresters
Foresters, who are sociologists, she notes, are those who deal with communities on the outskirts of the forest.
A level-II forester such as Baldwin-Crichton will need an associate degree or a BSc in environmental sciences from the College of Agriculture, Science and Education and similar institutions. Another requirement, she notes, is a love for the environment.
Baldwin-Crichton left Petersfield High School in Westmoreland, in 1999 with the desire to go to college, but there was no money for that. Instead, he joined the National Youth Service, which placed him in the Conservation Corps - a one-month camp in Chesterfield - which was the beginning of a love affair with the environment which grew during his subsequent placement with the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) in Llandilo, Westmoreland, as an extension officer for nine months.
Work with RADA involved supervising the production of crops for sale and consumption, giving technical advice on planting crops for maximum yield, the use of pesticides and reducing harmful farming practices such as slash and burn.
The extension officer then commenced part-time studies at Bethlehem Teachers' College which led, in 2005, to the completion of an associate degree in environmental science and a job with the Forestry Department. He then enrolled at Knox Community College, May Pen campus, where he pursued and completed the BSc in environmental science in August last year.
Job challenge
The most challenging aspect of his current job, the forester now says, involves convincing those who abuse the forest that they are being short-sighted. His role also involves removing illegal farms and preventing the cutting down of trees in watershed areas.
He notes that the department is looking at creative solutions to this challenge as it is the lack of jobs which lead to coal burning and the cutting of trees for the construction of homes and furniture. There is also the problem of squatting.
Since incarcerating offenders does not solve the problem, Baldwin-Crichton has been busy attending school fairs and any other public events in order to educate Jamaicans on the importance of preserving watershed areas and other forest resources.
"The National Water Commission would spend less on treatment and distribution of water if trees were intact and watershed zones were free from pollution." He says flooding also results from the removal of tree cover.
According to the 26-year-old forester, "The protection of forest resources is very important to the quality of our lives both now and in the future."
avia.ustanny@gleanerjm.com