The name of the applicant organization is the Carenage Community Re-Leaf Bloc. This group was formed as one of eight Community Re-Leaf Blocs during the preparation of the Northern Range Community Forest Rehabilitation Project (NRCFRP) executed by The Tropical Re-Leaf Foundation (TRF) with funding from bpTT and UNDP Global Environment Facility-Small Grants Programme (GEF-SGP)(planning grant).

The specific objective of the project is to establish, over a 10 year period, a close canopy cover of forest and fruit trees on 120 ha of land that has been degraded due to deforestation by fires. Planting stock of hardy pioneer species, obtained from the Forestry Division?s nursery, will be used in the first year of reforestation. However, by the second year it is expected that the source of planting stock will be provided from a dedicated Bon Air Forest Nursery to be established for this purpose. The project is located on state lands at the western extremity of the Northern Range in the Carenage area near the border of the Chaguaramas National Park. The TRF has received written authority from the Director of Surveys to enter the lands to execute the project.

The distinguishing feature of the project is the creation of a purpose-driven community group to carry out reforestation activity, and most importantly, to remain in place to care for the plantation to maturity.

Due to funding limitations, it will only be possible to initiate, in 2003, two of the eight community reforestation projects originally planned for implementation on state lands in the western Northern Range area. Consequently, an initial area of 40 ha will be reforested under the Carenage Community Reforestation project and the budget for the first year was revised from TT$690,322 to TT$293,000, of which a grant of TT$257,000 will be provided by the UNDP GEF-SGP, with an in-kind contribution of TT$36,000 from the TRF.