Former Haitian envoy to discuss reforestation plan, 4 pm Jan. 10

Raymond Joseph, a former Haitian ambassador to the United States, will explore the importance of rebuilding his country's forests and promoting alternatives to wood for cooking at a National Press Club Newsmaker at 4 p.m. Jan. 10.

Joseph recently established a non-profit organization to support environmental protection in Haiti, A Dollar a Tree for Haiti.

The 2010 earthquake devastated the Caribbean country, whose tree cover is estimated at only 1.5 percent. If the decline is not reversed, Joseph said, "Haiti will soon become a desert."