FORESTRY I

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The Forestry Project is a step in making Jamaica self sufficient inwood and wood products. It aims to establish a commercially viable pine plantation and processing industry. It will provide for the transfer and acquisition of about 20,000 ha of land for pine plantations and for new plantation, replanting and plantation maintenance within that area. The project provides for the construction of a new sawmill, the rehabilitation of an existing sawmill, for the establishment of forest roads, the development of road building, logging and log transport operations and the institutional strengthening of FIDCO and the Forestry Department. The project will provide the country with increased sawnwood production and roundwood availability. The project will provide employment of about 50 man-years per annum for unskilled road building, harvesting and sawmill labor and about 4,500 man-year of unskilled labor for forestry establishment during the project period. High levels of employment for forestry establishment will continue beyond the project period as new forests are established. Cofinancing will be provided by the Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC) and the United Kingdom's Overseas Development Ministries (ODM). The major project risk is converting a Goverment department.