Remarks at launch of National Tree Week 2026
Newbridge House, Donabate, 8 March 2026
A chairde,
I am delighted to be here with you all today on the beautiful grounds of Newbridge House, Donabate, as we launch National Tree Week. My thanks to today’s MC Éanna Ní Lamhna for her introductions and to everyone involved in this important event.
Organised by the Tree Council of Ireland and Coillte, National Tree Week shines a spotlight on how vital trees are in our lives. Through community-focused events, this initiative is an excellent example of how we can raise awareness and drive sustainability.
Indeed, the annual Tree Planting Week event has already made a significant difference, with over 1 million native trees having been planted through this initiative in the past 41 years since it was launched in 1985.
We need to pose the question, however, how have we arrived at this point, where we need an annual tree planting event over 4 decades to remind us of the importance of trees? How have we become so disconnected from nature? Simply, how have we let this happen?
At the end of the last ice age, over 80% of Ireland was covered by forests. It was said that a squirrel could travel from one end of the country to the other, without ever touching the ground. By the end of the 19th Century, this figure had reduced to about 1%. It must be acknowledged that State-sponsored initiatives have brought overall tree cover back up to approximately 11%, with native woodland accounting for roughly 2% of all forestry.
Our native trees – oak, ash, birch, hazel, hawthorn – whose roots connect us to the land and to our history, are powerful symbols of resilience, strength and renewal. We lose connection with them at our peril.
Indeed, trees have so many purposes - they give life; they nourish the soil; they provide a habitat for insects, birds, fungi and mammals; they produce oxygen, giving us air to breathe; they absorb and store carbon dioxide; they provide shade; their roots bind the soil, absorb water and can offer protection against flooding. Trees are central to all life on earth, and we could not survive without them.
Planting a tree is a simple act which can have a powerful impact. The theme of this year’s National Tree Week is “Growing a Greener Future Together”, which emphasises the importance of community as we face the existential threat of climate change. I am pleased to learn that National Tree Week once again features free native sapling distribution to schools and community groups. The emphasis on planting native deciduous trees, and on strengthening the resilience of our ecosystems to climate stress, is very welcome.
Mar Uachtarán na hÉireann, I would like to congratulate everyone involved in this excellent initiative and I wish it continued success. I encourage everyone to participate in the many community events that are planned over the coming week, and of course to plant a tree if they can.
Go raibh mile maith agaibh.