The Forestry Department is hailing the recent conviction of a father and son for illegally cutting down trees from a forest management area.
Henry and Norman Taylor have been sentenced to 100 hours of community service to replant 911 seedlings and maintain them until the expiration of the community service hours.
They were also fined $10,000 when the matter was heard in the Linstead Resident Magistrate’s Court in St Catherine this month.
This amount represents the economic value of the 911 trees that were cut.
The Henrys are the first offenders to be prosecuted under the Forest Act for offences committed on a privately-owned holding.
Senior Legal Officer at the Forestry Department, Rainee Oliphant, has described the conviction as a victory.
She says although the fine was relatively low, the recognition of the importance of replacing the trees goes a long way in protecting the environment in the future.
Ms Oliphant is hoping that it will be a deterrent to other persons who illegally cut trees in forest management areas.
The Henrys were apprehended on July 15 this year after they were spotted on the Tulloch Estates in Bog Walk, St Catherine, cutting trees from the privately-owned Hampton Forest Management Area.
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