Posted 05/03/2017

National Tree Week 2017

Sunday 5th - 12th March

Be a force of nature ...
They say that the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago and the second best time is now. 

How to Get Involved

As part of National Tree Week, the Tree Council of Ireland invites you to organise one or more events for the week to celebrate trees.

As well as tree planting ceremonies, the range of events can include forest and woodland walks, nature trails, workshops, woodturning displays, talks, tree hugging, tree climbing, broadcasts, launches, poetry readings, exhibitions, Man and two children with hedgehog dramas, competitions and tree plantations where communities are challenged to plant a target number of trees on a designated local site over a fixed time period.

Don’t forget to register your event at www.treecouncil.ie, so that other people can come and join you!

National Tree Week, sponsored by Applegreen and in association with the Tree Council of Ireland and Coillte, are holding numerous events to celebrate trees.
Get involved and see what's going on in your neck of the woods at www.treecouncil.ie
#ApplegreenTreeWeek 


What can you do to celebrate National Tree Week?

 

Check out the National Tree Week events programme and take part in an event near you.

Celebrate National Tree Week in your school by planting a tree or in the classroom by drawing pictures or making leaf prints or bark rubbings of trees, read or write poems or stories about trees, learn how to measure the height and spread of a tree, produce a class drama about trees.

Encourage your local residents association, tidy towns group, youth club, sports club or other local organisation to get their members involved in a tree planting or tree maintenance project (eg. clean-up a local woodland) in your area.

Volunteer in a local community tree-planting event. You’ll meet new people and make a difference in your community.

Organise a walk or trail to showcase and tell the stores of any large, unusual or historic trees in your community.

Commemorate an event of significance in your community by planting a tree and organise a community celebration or get together to mark the occasion.

Celebrate the week in a personal way by planting a tree yourself in your own garden.

Take some time to read a book about trees or find our more about their characteristics, their uses, folklore etc. Learn to identify trees in your neighbourhood.

Enjoy the outdoors. Visit a local forest or park or take a nature walk and enjoy observing and being in the company of trees.

Those in the business community could sponsor a community tree project.

Events in County Kildare

 

Trees for Bees

Venue: Annfield Farm, Athy
Date: 5th March  Time: 11:00
Organiser: Una Wall
Description:
We aim to plant new trees and hedging to encourage biodiversity on our organic farm. We particularly want to encourage bees and other pollinators to an area where hedges have been removed for years to allow more intensive agriculture and arable farming has seen a decline in bee numbers.

Phone: 086 3493412
Email: unabirneywall@gmail.com
Is this event open to the public? No

 Tree Trail
Venue: Tea Lane Graveyard, Church Road, Celbridge.
Date: 7th March  Time: 12:00
Organiser: KWETB, ShareRing Skills Celbridge / Ailis Aylward
Description:
Learning about our natural environment and highlighting some of the magical trees of Celbridge and their stories

Phone: 087 9271583
Email: aaagusgmc@hotmail.com
Is this event open to the public? Yes

The Irish National Stud & Gardens
Venue: The National Stud, Tully, Kildare Town
Date: 8th March  Time: 09:30
Organiser: The Irish National Stud & Japanese Gardens
Description:
Eanna Ni Lamhna will lead tree walks during the day for National Tree Week

Phone: 045 521617
Is this event open to the public? Yes

Tree Tour at Irish National Stud & Gardens
Venue: The National Stud, Tully, Kildare Town
Date: 8th March  Time: 14:30
Organiser: The Irish National Stud & Japanese Gardens
Description:
Horticulturist Yvonne O’ Conor will give a guided tour on the trees based on the grounds of the Irish National Stud & Gardens on March 8th at 2:30pm. The Irish National Stud is home to the world famous Japanese Gardens, and serene St. Fiachra’s Garden.
Tickets can be purchased on the day, or to avail of discounts visit www.irishnationalstud.ie

Phone: 045 521617
Email: reservations@irishnationalstud.ie
Is this event open to the public? Yes

Trees for Bees
Venue: Scoil Cianog Naofa, Timahoe
Date: 11th March  Time: 11:00
Organiser: North Kildare Beekeepers Association / Caroline Crone
Description:
Planting native bee-friendly trees in the school grounds

Phone: 045 863798
Email: canddcrone@gmail.com
Is this event open to the public? No


Outdoors in County Kildare

 

Donadea Forest Park
The Forest Park is managed by Coillte, the Irish Forestry Service. It was the home of the Anglo-Norman Aylmer family who occupied the castle from 1550 until the 1930s. The castle, church, walled garden, ice house and lake occupy over 250 hectares of parkland.
Nature trails, walks and a café make it a special place for a family day out.
The 9/11 Memorial in Donadea is also located in the Forest Park

Killinthomas Wood, Rathangan
Killinthomas Wood is a 200 acre amenity about 1 mile from the Rathangan. It is a mixed hardwood and conifer forest with had a broad range of flora and fauna.
There are about 10km of signposted walks in the wood. In Spring/early Summer the woods are carpeted with bluebells and wild garlic. It is an area of outstanding natural beauty in County Kildare and has a free car park for visitors.

Pollardstown Fen, Newbridge
Pollardstown Fen is the largest remaining spring-fed fen in Ireland and is a very important site nationally and internationally.
It is a post-glacial fen which started developing about 10,000 years ago when the area was covered by a large lake. Over time this lake became filled with dead vegetation which accumulated and eventually turned to fen peat. The calcium rich water found here prevented the usual change from fen to raised bog and continues to prevent this process today.

The fen is largely composed of reedbeds freshwater pools patches of scrubland and a large woodland area which lies at the western end of the reserve. There are many rare plant species in the area and the rare arctic-alpine moss Homalothecium nitens.
Many resident bird species and also winter and summer migrants can be found in the habitat.