Defending Mother Nature as a forest ranger

Though not always seen by the public, but rangers at the Forestry Department play an integral role in maintaining the country's natural resources and greenery.

During my day as a forest ranger, I got to accompany these enforcement officers on one of their daily patrols through the Mount Diablo Forest Reserve in St Catherine.

When I arrived at the Western Zonal Office of the Forestry Department in Moneague, St Ann, I expected to be greeted by large, burly men in broad hats and steel-toed boots. What greeted me instead was the quartet of Melecia Wright, Franz Howell, Akeba Martin and Cavoy Petgrave, the forest rangers who would be taking me under their collective wing for the day.

Before heading out on our journey, I asked Wright what I could expect for the day. She laughed and said, "I can't even tell you that. It's just whatever we see out there."

Driving into the deep recesses of the Mount Diablo forest, the vehicle was enveloped by trees, so much so that the road began to disappear. Through the unmitigated forest we were enveloped in an endless array of fern and plants that seemed to thrive being untouched by man. The air was crisp and light. The only evidence that we were not lost to the world of men was the remnants of illegal logging that littered sections of the area we were patrolling.

Illegal logging is where unauthorised persons enter protected forests and cut down trees for the purposes of selling the lumber. The fine for this offence can range from as low as $500,000 per tree. Wright explained that one of the main tenets of a ranger's furies include patrolling for signs of illegal logging.

The national tree, the Blue Mahoe, is one of the main victims of this kind of deforestation as the lumber from a single tree can value anywhere between $300,000 and $500,000.

Regardless of the blemishes left by loggers, the aura high up in those St Catherine hills was peaceful. Hiking uphill in a single file, the passed species of plants whole undiscovered by my city girl soul. Against the soundscape of the birds in the distance and our boots sinking in the mud below, I was sure this was true peace. At least until the burr, a species of plant indigenous to everywhere and nowhere, started burying its claws into my skin.

The small plant attached itself to clothes, shoes and skin and buried its microscopic claws under the surface causing a more nagging than painful sensation.

Howell explained that this was how the plant reproduced, by attaching itself on to whatever crossed its path and wherever it landed would spring up new growth; nature's travelling parasite.

Ignoring my new passengers during our excursion, no new infractions were found. This meant the day consisted mostly of hiking and removing fallen trees from our path. Though disappointed by the lack of action, it gave me a chance to know our forest's first line of defence.

Wright told THE WEEKEND STAR that although the work can be strenuous at times, it's the love for nature and the outdoors that keeps her going.

"I've been an agricultural science teacher for 14 years so when I heard about the opportunity to become a ranger it was quite exciting for me because I love agriculture and this is outdoors," said Wright, who has been a ranger for the last three years.