Kilkenny stakeholders urged to get behind tree planting project

More than 8,000 trees have been planted in Kilkenny as part of a cross-border initiative working to establish young native trees across the 32 counties of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Landowners and stakeholders in community and voluntary groups are being encouraged to get involved in the Trees On the Land project.

Pat Boyd of Keep Kilkenny Beautiful said that the initiative has been a resounding success locally and urged people to consider getting involved.

“Last year we exceeded planting over 8,000 trees in 10 different locations, including 2,400 saplings as a perimeter up at O’Loughlins GAA Club,” he said.

“A further 2,500 trees were planted out in the grounds of the SOS on the Callan Road where we created a linear woodland area.

“We also planted a new orchard at St Kieran’s College and there were hundreds more trees planted in various housing estates in the city,” he continued. “We are currently looking for expressions of interest in anyone who wants to plant hedgegrows or linear woodlands to get in contact with us.”

As part of the annual tree planting event trees are distributed and planted between December and March each year.

The initiative provides simple schemes for landowners to access quality native tree mixes each season. The initiative is aimed at farmers, smallholders, community groups, councils, schools, colleges, sports clubs and many other landowners to co-ordinate sites to accommodate trees.

The vision of the Trees On Our Land initiative is to establish tree cover and woodland in rural and urban areas that will grow for many years and provide valuable resources, beneficial ecosystem services and a lasting legacy for future generations.

Anyone who would like to get involved can email info@treesontheland.com
For more on the initiative see treesonourland.com