The Forestry Sector in The Bahamas can be best described in terms of the goods and services being derived from the National Forest Estate.  In the past, the sector relied primarily on the exploitation of natural forest resources for wood products, such as pulpwood to produce paper and saw logs for constructional timber.
 

The Country had a long and storied history of forest exploitation dating back to the 1700s when almost all large sized valuable hardwood species were exploited as logs for export. The last extensive exploitation ended in the early 1970s when the pine forests were harvested for pulpwood. 
 

The first license to harvest pine was issued in 1906 and this harvesting continued unabated until the early 1970s when all licenses and concessions were relinquished to the government.  This exploitation of the pine resource contributed significantly to the national economy in terms of employment and the development of infrastructure in the Family Island communities.
 

Since that period the focus of the forestry sector has shifted from forest exploitation to the multipurpose functions of the Bahamian forests.  This transition began in the late 1980s and into the 1990s.  It has now been accepted that the pine, coppice and  mangrove forests provide in addition to commercial forestry, the reservation and protection of freshwater resource, maintenance of the hydrological cycle, biodiversity conservation, ecotourism, soil conservation, microclimate regulation, agro-forestry development and environmental enhancement.
 

The Forestry institution was initiated in The Bahamas in 1952 when the post of Forest Supervisor was created under the then Crown Lands Office.  The Crown Lands Office has since been re-designed, the Department of Lands and Surveys (DLS). 
 

In 1985, a Forestry Section was established within the DLS with the objective of managing the forest resources of The Bahamas.  Back then, the staff complement within the Forestry Unit comprised three expatriate foresters and two Bahamian trainees. The Forest Unit back then like now was grossly understaffed.
 

Along Came a Project…

In 1986, the Government of The Bahamas with financial support from the Inter American Development Bank (IDB) embarked on a “Forestry Development Project” and executed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.  The project’s aim was three fold:

1. to conduct an inventory of the pine resources on Abaco, Grand Bahama and Andros;
2. to propose appropriate forest management options for these islands in the preparation of a forest management plan;
3. to build capacity in Bahamian Forester trainees by exposing them to various forest techniques and by providing appropriate training.

The project was very successful.
 

In 1996, the Government requested the Forestry Institution to review the 1987 draft forestry legislation, based on a process of consultation with all stakeholders.  The draft legislation was amended to take into account the new “environmental conservation ethic” in addition to the incorporation of additional areas of hardwood coppice forests into the schedules for reservation purposes.  The Department of Legal Affairs was asked to make the necessary legal amendments to the Bill (A Bill for an Act to Provide for the Conservation and Protection of Forests). 
 

By 1998, the Government formally agreed to and approved its first official National Forestry Policy.  With the approval of the official National Forest Policy, the Forestry Institution transitioned into the Forestry Unit.
 

Presently, the pine forests have rebounded and offer considerable potential for future sustained yield, scientific management and the development of small-scale forest based industries to reduce wood imports. Technical analyses conclude that several options exist for forest industries in The Bahamas including, sawmilling, fuel for power generation, utility pole, fence posts, high end forest products (siding, crown moulding) and charcoal production.