Forestry Department Launches 5K Urban Forest Run to Support Black River Mangrove Recovery

The Forestry Department has unveiled a five-kilometre urban forest run to back reforestation work in St. Elizabeth, where Hurricane Melissa left widespread damage last October.

Billed as Run in the East, Relieve the West, the fundraiser targets the Black River mangroves that the Category 5 storm hit hard. Proceeds will go toward restoring the coastal forest.

Chief Executive Officer Ainsley Henry said the run is built around personal ownership of the recovery effort. Each entrant will plant one tree in the Silent Hill forest reserve.

"Every single person that comes out to this event, we'll plant one tree within the Silent Hill forest reserve," Henry said. "That means every single person will be able to say one of those trees is mine. I did that. And that's something we think is key and pivotal — getting the ownership from everyone in this initiative and making sure that everybody feels a part of the solution. We're all suffering through Melissa and now we can all recover from Melissa."

Alfred Fanno Francis, managing director of Running Events Jamaica, said the initiative serves both environmental and public-health goals.

"We're ready, not only from the point of view of Melissa and the restoration, but also for the procurement of a healthy lifestyle for individuals generally in Jamaica," Francis said.

Registration runs from July 21 through August 19. Organisers may close sign-ups sooner if entries reach the cap of between 2,500 and 3,000 participants.