National Tree Week 2014 is now in full swing, after being launched in Co. Wicklow recently by the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Tom Hayes. At a free, family day held at Powerscourt Estate in Enniskerry, Co Wicklow, Minister Hayes was joined for a tree planting ceremony by school children from the nearby Powerscourt National School. 2,000 free trees were also given out to members of the public who attended the event.
Adults in the picture (l-r): Eanna Ni Lamhna, President of the Tree Council of Ireland; Tom Hayes, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Gerard Murphy, MD Coillte Forest and Sarah Slazenger (Powerscourt Estate).
Sponsored by SSE Airtricity – Ireland’s greenest home energy provider – National Tree Week is now in its 30th year. Brendan Fitzsimons, Executive Director of the Tree Council of Ireland said, “This year’s theme is ‘The Sound of Trees’. We hope to improve people’s awareness and understanding of the variety of sounds heard in our woodlands and also to sample music produced by some of the wonderful musical instruments made of wood worldwide.”
Coillte are a partner with the Tree Council in National Tree Week in organising events and supplying the trees for planting by community groups and schools across the country.
Over the course of the week-long festival, which runs from today until March 8th, more than 100 entertaining and educational tree-related events will take place in every county throughout the country to celebrate the positive impact that trees have on our lives.
Jillian Saunders, Sponsorship Manager of SSE Airtricity said, “As Ireland’s greenest home energy provider we’re proud to support National Tree Week 2014. Since 2008, we’ve invested over €2 billion or €1 million every day into cleaner, greener and more sustainable energy generation in Ireland. That’s why working with the Tree Council of Ireland to support and promote National Tree Week, and to encourage greater appreciation and understanding of our natural environment, is so important to us.”
Woodland now accounts for less than 12% of Ireland’s land area – far below the European average of 40%. Central to National Tree Week is the organisation of tree planting events, which have seen more than half a million trees planted around the country over the past 30 years. As part of their contribution to the National Tree Week campaign, over 15,000 free trees are being provided again this year by Coillte to be distributed and planted by community groups and organisations across Ireland.
Gerard Murphy, Managing Director of Coillte Forest, said “We’re delighted to have supported National Tree Week for over twenty years now. The events organised celebrate the wide range of environmental, social and economic values that trees provide to our society. National Tree Week’s message of planting trees and regenerating forests has never been more relevant than today after recent storm damage led to the loss of significant number of trees, many of which were majestic oak and beech trees that graced our landscape for over 100 years.”
For a full list of events taking place as part of National Tree week, please visit www.treecouncil.ie
Source: Coillte – Minister Tom Hayes Launches National Tree Week 2014 in the Garden County
