Remarks at the launch of National Tree Week
Ardee, Co. Louth, 4th March 2012
Dia dhíbh a chairde inniu.
I am very glad to have this opportunity to launch ‘National Tree Week’. It’s not my first time as I did so also in 1997 at a ceremony in Co. Galway. It is heartening to see that the enthusiasm and dedication of the organisers, the Tree Council of Ireland, is as strong as ever now in 2012, the 28th year in which we celebrate National Tree Week, as it was then.
The theme of this year’s National Tree Week “Crainn – Inné, Inniu, Amárach” is appropriate as it is indeed, thought-provoking. It also brings to mind for me an African proverb that reminds us that ‘the best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago, the second best time is now’.
Where more fitting than here in Ardee for this launch – my congratulations to you for winning the ‘Tree Project Award’ in the 2011 Tidy Towns Competition. An award sponsored by the Tree Council of Ireland in recognition of the contribution that suitable and well sited trees can make to the appearance of a town or village, it is an achievement that the town can be proud of.
National Tree Week presents us with the opportunity to appreciate the importance and significance of trees in our lives and for our island. In the hustle and bustle of daily life, we can forget to notice the landscape and nature that surrounds us, that protects us, and contributes in so many ways to our well being.
Trees as well as being a feature of our landscapes also hold a significant place in our social history and folklore. 7,000 years ago, almost the entire island was under vast forests of oak, ash, elm and pine, borne out by the ancient tree trunks uncovered in our bogs and by pollen trapped and preserved in peat. Our ancestors relied on trees to a much greater extent that most of us do today and some species of trees even acquired mystical associations in Celtic times. It is also interesting to note that the original Irish alphabet was based on tree names and only later did it become ‘Ogham’.
There are many important trees linked to real historical events or places and there are some that are worthy of note, and of protection and preservation, simply because they are rare or especially impressive specimens of their species. The Tree Council has done much work cataloguing and recording these magnificent trees which has resulted in an impressive online database. As President, I am glad that a number of trees in the grounds of Áras an Uachtaráin have been included on the database, both on their own merits and for their historic associations.
With the clearance of forests in Ireland over past centuries the total forest cover dropped to just 1% of land area at the beginning of the 20th century. Following State investment over the last number of decades however, the level of forest cover has now thankfully been restored to some 11% today. That investment has helped to create a sustainable natural resource that provides the raw material for a strong, export-oriented forest products industry which in turn makes a significant contribution to the economy and supports many thousands of jobs, of which many are based in rural Ireland. Not only does the current forest resource yield economic benefits but also significant environmental and societal benefits.
We have forests to thank for a range of environmental and ecological services such as soil protection, regulation of run-off and water purification. And their contribution to meeting our international commitments to climate change is clear through their absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, an estimated 4 million tonnes annually. The increasing focus on renewable energy also highlights the potential of forest products and by-products for heat and power generation.
Sometimes too the contribution which forestry makes to biodiversity is not always highlighted. Some types of woodland are of international importance as they are not found elsewhere outside Ireland (or Britain), for example our ash woods, or moss- and lichen-rich oak woods.
For many of us forests open up a magical world of adventure and pleasure, are places of calm, provide countless tracks and pathways to explore for exercise or simply to get outdoors and enjoy nature. In recent years, much has been done to increase the level of activities such as walking, orienteering, mountain biking, and horse riding in our forests.
Coillte Teoranta, in particular, through its management of 10 Forest Parks and some 150 recreation sites throughout Ireland, has done great work to develop these as public amenities. As tourist attractions, they bring in visitors and generate economic benefit for local communities. Both Coillte and Fáilte Ireland are to be congratulated on their efforts in this regard and in creating a recreational resource that everyone can access and enjoy.
It is important for us all to recognise, appreciate and value the many benefits we reap from our forests and woodlands and to safeguard, maintain and enhance this valuable asset for future generations to derive benefits and enjoyment from. They are an enduring legacy. As Robert Browning said, “Generations pass while some tree stands”.
Is ionann Seachtain Náisiúnta na gCrann agus spreagadh a thabhairt do scoileanna, do phobail áitiúla, do ghrúpaí agus do dhaoine aonair taitneamh agus tairbhe a bhaint as áilleacht nádúrtha na gcrann agus foraoiseacha in Éirinn trí pháirt a ghlacadh i siúlóid coillearnach, nó cuairt a thabhairt ar chaint nó ar taispeántas nó ar cheann de na imeachtaí atá eagraithe ar fud na tíre, agus b’fhéidir ar cheann de na himeachtaí curtha crann.
As part of the programme of activities for Tree Week, again this year tree planting events have been arranged around the country. Coillte Teoranta, a sponsor of National Tree Week for many years, are to be commended for donating some 15,000 sapling trees for distribution by the Tree Council and local authorities. Community groups, schools and clubs in their areas will be given the opportunity to plant the saplings as part of the week’s events.
All in all National Tree Week is much more than just an opportunity to learn about trees and appreciate their place in our past and their value today, it is also an opportunity to create something worthwhile in communities that will endure. The words of Lady Gregory seem appropriate. She said ‘…. we are not likely to have more lasting monuments over us and we cannot have more gracious ones than the living, rustling trees that we planted and we loved’.
I hope that these planting events will both be a source of enjoyment for people as well as demonstrating to us all and in particular our children, the next generation of custodians of this great asset; that we can make a genuine contribution towards preserving and enhancing our landscape and an aspect of our heritage for future generations to enjoy and appreciate.
Mar fhocal scoir ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil le Comhairle Crann
na hÉireann agus a balleagraíochtaí uilig a d’oibrigh go dian chun
Seachtain Náisiúnta na gCrann na bliana seo a eagrú, le Baile Átha
Fhirdhia as ucht an searmanas lainseála a óstáil, agus na hurraitheoirí
agus na ranníocóirí. Murach tacaíocht na ndaoine seo ní bheadh clár
imeachtaí ar fud na tíre ann. Níl dabht ar bith agam ach go gcuirfear an
t-éileamh agus an tacaíocht céanna ar fáil d’imeachtaí na bliana seo
agus iarraim ar gach duine, cibé áit ina bhfuil tú am a fhágáil ar
leathaobh chun freastal ar na himeachtaí seo agus chun páirt a
ghlacadh iontu.
It gives me great pleasure therefore to officially launch National Tree Week 2012 and I wish the Tree Council and everyone associated with this year’s programme every success.
Go raibh maith agaibh.