Forest Trek

Forest Trek

General Information about Forest Trek 2023 Bull Head Forest Reserve


Hiking Scale of Difficulty

1-4 

Anybody can do it

5-6

Must be reasonably fit, participants must be able-bodied and cannot have physical disabilities

7-8

Must be fit

9-10

Must be very fit







Level of Difficulty:

6- Must be reasonably fit, participants must be able-bodied and cannot have physical disabilities


Overview of Forest Trek 2023


The thirteenth staging of Forest Trek scheduled for Saturday, March 25, 2023, is a 10 KM cross-country hike through the Bull Head Forest Reserve in Clarendon.  

This year the Forestry Department offers two transportation options for participants who sign up for the group or individual packages.

1.     Transportation included

2.     Transportation excluded

Persons who choose the transportation included option will be transported to Bull Head and from Bull Head on the day. Participants will meet the buses at the Forestry Department, 173 Constant Spring Road, St. Andrew , where parking is provided free of charge. All hikers must gather at the Check Point located in the Parking Area at 5:30 a.m. At the Check Point, participants will be boarded on buses and dispatched to Bull Head for the start of the hike.

Those who select the transportation excluded option will meet us at the parking spot near the finish Line in Reckford, Clarendon. A shuttle bus will transport persons to the start line and back to the vehicles at the end. Hikers are invited to meet us at Reckford Site (TBA) at 8:00 a.m. for the start of the hike.

General Information about Forest Trek 2023

On the walk through the forest, hikers will enjoy picturesque views of the forest and surrounding communities. The trail will take hikers from Brandon Hill to the peak (the highest point in Clarendon) and then to the monument, which denotes the geographical centre of Jamaica. Along the way, hikers will have opportunities to enrich the forest environment by planting trees. After lunch, hikers may relax and enjoy the cool climate before walking the 3km to the end, where the buses will collect you for the return journey to Clarendon. Prizes will also be available for participants to win after they have completed the trail, so stay alert. 


Purpose of the Hike

The main aim of the hike is to increase public awareness and encourage a greater appreciation for forests in Jamaica. The Trek will take participants into the forest to see and experience its environment first-hand and also contribute to its resources by participating in a small tree-planting exercise.  It also provides an opportunity to see the effects of challenges impacting the forests, such as fires. 


About the Bull Head Forest Reserve 

The Bull Head Forest is located in the Bull Head Mountain range in Northern Clarendon. It is also situated in the Rio Minho Watershed, where its aquifer is the source of several springs and tributaries feeding into approximately 100 streams. The Reserve covers an area of 226.9 hectares with an elevation of over 930 metres (3051 feet).

In its history, the Bull Head property has been owned by several private owners and was once used as a picnic and hunting spot by the British. The area was also instrumental in maroon culture. According to local folklore, Maroon Chief Cudjoe formed a trail leading past Bull Head Peak and into Pumpkin and established a lookout in the area that was used to spy on the British after their settlement in Chapelton. Anecdotal evidence suggests that Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee was celebrated in Bull Head in 1897. 

The area was formerly forested with Cedar, Mahoe and Santa Maria trees which have declined over the years due to overexploitation of hardwood trees and poor agricultural practices. To prevent further deterioration, the property was gazetted as a forest reserve in 1950. The reserve is currently made up primarily of stands of Caribbean Pine and Eucalyptus plantations, resulting from reforestation efforts by the Forestry Department.

Soil erosion and run-off caused by deforestation, contamination of water resources, fire from agricultural activities and infrastructure developments are major issues affecting the Reserve. A Local Forest management Plan established in 2011 has directed the management of biodiversity and sustainability in the Reserve. This plan is presently being revised. 

Registration for Forest Trek 2023 will open on Wednesday, February 15, 2023 and close on Tuesday, March 3, 2023 or as soon as the quota of hikers targeted is reached. 

For this year’s trek, participants can choose to include transportation in their package or they can provide their own transportation.  If you choose the transportation provided by the Agency, registration fee for groups is $8,000 per person and for individuals $9,000. If individuals or groups opt to provide their own transport, the cost is $7,000 per person. 

 

Methods of payment include company cheques, cash, debit/credit card and direct deposit. Company cheques should be made payable to the Forestry Department. Please refer to respective registration forms for more details. 

 

For persons registering outside of the Corporate Area, you may contact the Forestry Department to find out how you can make payments without having to travel into Kingston.

Individual Participation 

Each participant (at least thirteen years or older) must complete and submit both the Individual Registration Form as well as the Participant Waiver Form and/or Parental Consent Form which must be printed, signed and submitted when making payment.


Group Participation

Companies, Government Agencies, Community-Based Organizations, fitness groups, and other groups may submit a team comprising of no less that five (5) persons. Each member of the group must complete and sign an Individual Registration Form and print and sign a Participant Waiver Form and/or Parental Consent Form to be submitted along with the Group Registration Form when the team captain is making payment on behalf of the group. A team captain should be named on the form, through which and to whom all information relating to the hike will be sent for dissemination to the team members.


The deadline for the submission of forms and the payment of registration fees for all participants is Friday, March 3, 2023. Payments may be made Monday to Thursday, 9 am- 4 pm and on Friday between 9 am and 3 pm.

 

N.B. All Registration Fees are Non-Refundable.