{"id":14884,"date":"2025-07-17T18:10:29","date_gmt":"2025-07-17T18:10:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/?p=14884"},"modified":"2025-07-17T19:08:27","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T19:08:27","slug":"week-3-day-4-interns-dig-deep-into-forestry-hands-on-learning-environmental-insights-and-160-new-vetiver-plants-in-the-ground-by-brent-simon-and-jahlisha-micheal-agricultural-intern","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/2025\/07\/17\/week-3-day-4-interns-dig-deep-into-forestry-hands-on-learning-environmental-insights-and-160-new-vetiver-plants-in-the-ground-by-brent-simon-and-jahlisha-micheal-agricultural-intern\/","title":{"rendered":"Week 3-Day 4 Interns Dig Deep into Forestry-Hands-on learning, environmental insights, and 160 new vetiver plants in the ground by Brent Simon and Jahlisha Micheal (Agricultural Intern)"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Forestry Unit Nursery played host to the Ministry of Agriculture\u2019s Summer Internship cohort on Day 14, offering a field-based introduction to the delicate balance of forest ecosystems\u2014and the growing threats they face.<\/p>\n

According to Mrs. Cameila Wallace-Tongue, a senior officer in the Forestry Unit, the unit functions as an environmental manager, and the challenges are mounting. \u201cEvery year we risk losing about one percent of our forests due to fires sparked by the invasive lemon grass species and illegal logging,\u201d she cautioned. Lemongrass, or \u201cfever grass,\u201d was introduced to Antigua in the early 1920s and has since become both a common sight and a major fire hazard.<\/p>\n

The interns were split into three groups of five, one group sourced the shoots, one group potted soil, and one group prepared a safe area for the potted plants. After, they reconverged and planted 160 shoots together.<\/p>\n

Interns were also introduced by Mr.Jahmeel Ambrose\/Agricultural Cadet, to vetiver grass (Vetiveria zizanioides), which is celebrated for its deep fibrous roots\u2014stretching 17 to 18 feet into the soil. The grass is a natural solution for reducing surface runoff and filtering out chemicals during heavy rains before they can reach the sea. \u201cIt\u2019s nature\u2019s filter,\u201d one officer remarked. Its uses go beyond environmental protection; the plant\u2019s roots and leaves are also popular in craft making and have medicinal properties.<\/p>\n

Some interns realized they were familiar with the grass after being introduced to it in a previous exercise with Ms.Elise Phillip\/teacher, farmer and an agro-processor, who showed them how she plaited and weaved the dried leaves to make handicrafts.<\/p>\n

Mr. Ambrose added a different perspective: \u201cSome stresses are good for plants\u2014it pushes them to grow stronger and bear more.\u201d He explained that cutting and splicing the vetiver helps the plant redirect energy into new growth. Under his guidance, interns helped to plant 160 vetiver plants and learned techniques like folding nursery bags to allow for later soil expansion as seedlings grow.<\/p>\n

Mr. Adriel Thibou\/Senior Forestry Officer outlined the scope of the Forestry Division\u2019s responsibilities, which include managing both public and private forest reserves across Antigua and Barbuda. He identified Wallings and the Body Pond area as two of the island\u2019s most critical forest zones. Thibou, who spent his childhood exploring Pot Works Dam and Betty\u2019s Hope, said those experiences shaped his path. \u201cI already had a love for the outdoors, so I knew what to expect when I came into forestry.\u201d He encouraged the young interns to get involved in forestry and other areas of agriculture, highlighting the sector\u2019s need for fresh energy and innovation.<\/p>\n

Special thanks to the staff at the nursery – Ms. Shanice Mullins, Mr. Karim Joseph and Mr. Sebastian Cochrane for their able assistance and the willingness to share their knowledge with the interns.<\/p>\n

The day concluded with a short visit to the Body Ponds area, reinforcing the importance of water catchments and protected ecosystems in Antigua\u2019s environmental future.<\/p>\n

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The Forestry Unit Nursery played host to the Ministry of Agriculture\u2019s Summer Internship cohort on Day 14, offering a field-based introduction to the delicate balance of forest ecosystems\u2014and the growing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14884","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news-notices"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14884","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14884"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14884\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14904,"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14884\/revisions\/14904"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14884"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14884"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14884"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}