Forty cedar trees were planted at Shelly Bay Park yesterday ? a small but significant start to Government's efforts to reclaim the environment for nature and future generations.

A joint project between the Departments of Parks and Conservation Services, the reforestation programme will see a total of 100 cedars planted at Shelly Bay, and other parts of the Island such as Tom Moore's Jungle, Castle Harbour Island, and Devonshire Bay Park.

"We're using Nonsuch Island as an example, and restoring those areas to what Bermuda looked like thousands of years ago," said Chief Conservation Officer Jeremy Madeiros.

The project at Shelly Bay, which has a condominium development looming over it, will restore a wooded, leafy haven of just a few decades ago.

"All told, our grandchildren will know that this generation did in fact care enough to take some action," said Claudette Baisden, acting eastern superintendent of Parks.

"Trees are able to tell a story,so when we're not here years from now, they can see the new growth and the old forest and see exactly what we're doing to protect the mangroves."

"It's something positive that this generation is doing for the environment," agreed Mr. Madeiros. "Because many of the things that this generation is doing are, unfortunately, not positive for the environment."

Ms Baisden said Shelly Bay Park is probably the Island's most used public park, and its reforestation will make it even more attractive and enhance its value for locals and tourists.

Many of the cedars were from tip cuttings from healthy young trees.

Others, however, were from seeds collected from older trees which survived the cedar scale epidemic and have been well cared for in churchyards like the old Devonshire Church, St. Paul's church in Paget and St. John's church in Pembroke.

"The church people really took care of those trees and that's where you find the best specimens," Mr. Madeiros said. "Many of them are 200 to 300 years old ? older than the church. They're in the prime of their lives and could live for another century or more."

Invasive species ? and an enormous amount of garbage ? had to be cleared from the area before the reforestation could begin.

"We've lost that sense of connectedness with the outside," Mr. Madeiros said. "And if we're not careful, we'll become a country without a countryside."