The “Tree of Life” is a particularly poignant symbol in Haiti. Trees are a precious, though rapidly disappearing resource, where less than 1.5% of natural growth remains, due to deforestation. The culprits: poor land management practices and grinding poverty. Between land being cleared for subsistence farming - which constitutes two-thirds of Haitian labor activity - and wood being harvested to provide 70% of the nation’s fuel, the tropical forests of Haiti are virtually gone. The upshot is topsoil erosion amounting to 36 million tons annually, accelerated land degradation, silting lakes and waterways, increased greenhouse gases, and deaths numbering in the thousands due to mudslides when heavy weather strikes.
 
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