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• 01 / 23 / 2009

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National forestry director Elías Linares Landa told Granma that the first step is to grow the palms in a nursery. He said the goal is to plant two Royal palms for each of the 280,000 that were brought down by hurricanes Gustav and Ike that hit the island on late August and early September, 2008.

The most affected palm groves were in Pinar del Rio, Holguin, Las Tunas and Camagüey, explained the official and noted that in turn the greatest effort will be made in those provinces.

Linares said the sowing will be done on every possible piece of land in farms, boundaries and large backyards, with the participation of the community.

Cuba’s National Tree acts as a natural lightening rod, while each of its parts, fruit, trunk and leaves are widely used. The fruit are used as food for animals; the trunk provides wood to build houses and the leaves are used to thatch roofs and also to pack tobacco leaves.

(Mathaba.net)