Plan Sierra launches forest restructuring project

Yerba Buena, DR.- The Sierra Plan has launched the Reforestation and Forest Restructuring Program, which aims to enhance water storage capacity and survival potential by planting a variety of endemic and native species. This initiative was warmly received by agricultural entrepreneur Pablo Eulogio Cruz, whose farm, located in the Yerba Buena community of Los Corrales, serves as the launch site. The farm spans 1,680 tareas along the Inoa River.

At the event, Inmaculada Adames, Executive Vice President of Plan Sierra, highlighted that in four years, Cruz’s farm will become a model for environmental services, benefiting the Inoa River’s downstream users, including the San José De las Matas aqueduct. These services are expected to be quantified for compensation under Law 44-18 on Payments for Environmental Services.

The farm, previously known as Hacienda Don José Cruz, preserves 28 percent of the riverside forests along the Inoa River and its tributaries. The project launch was attended by notable figures, including San José De las Matas Mayor Alfredo Reyes Estévez, El Rubio Municipal District leader Ibanova Ramos, Assembly President Edwin Manuel, and other local ranchers and Sierra Plan officials.

Pablo Eulogio Cruz expressed his pride in contributing to the recovery of La Sierra’s natural resources, emphasizing the importance of reforestation for water storage, carbon dioxide capture, oxygen production, wildlife habitat, and job creation. He pledged to protect the forested areas on his farm, ensuring that older trees are only replaced when they can no longer effectively capture carbon. Cruz also encouraged neighboring landowners and fellow ranchers to participate in the initiative, leaving a legacy of a forested, healthy mountain range for future generations.