What kind of trees do you plant?
Native trees and some that while not on our small enough list (of 28 native trees, sadly a dwindling list due to Ash dieback and Dutch Elm disease) are still “The Right Tree in the Right Place”. The land available dictates what species we plant, e.g. alder likes sitting in puddles, oak does not. Most are broadleaves, we enjoy planting native evergreen such as holly, Scots Pine and juniper as they capture carbon even during winter months. We make provision for Climate Resilience by planting a mix of species, ideally more than 5 species where possible.
How many are we planting?
Our project is planting 1m trees by Twenty Twenty Tree with Ireland’s million school children.
What do trees do exactly?
There is too much carbon in the atmosphere; it’s heating up and the climate is changing. Trees take in CO2 and give out Oxygen.
What difference will a tree make?
By absorbing CO2 they will help with the climate crisis; they will buy us some time while we work on other solutions. They purify the air by capturing pollutants in their leaves which then fall to the ground and are sucked under by worms. They filter water by sucking it up like giant straws and releasing the purified water into the atmosphere. They provide homes for biodiversity which is in crisis. They guard against drought by cooling the air with their moist leaves and the ground in their shade. They combat dessertification by anchoring soil from being washed away, their roots working like a giant fist gripping the ground. They have great benefits for health, even looking at trees helps hospital patients recover more quickly.
When will they have an impact?
Very speedily; the trees we planted last year have mopped up all the puddles at Seagrange Park which you can still see on the grass right beside the woodland. Nature moves in immediately when you put up homes for it, the children have counted huge increases in the number of creatures visiting their small woodlands compared to when it was uniformly grass.
Who can help?
Councils are especially helpful, thanks to the many who are supporting us in heroic ways.
Everyone can do their bit. You can plant a tree in your garden or on your farm or arrange with your community to plant on public lands. You can come out and assist on planting days and/or sponsor trees with our charity on http://www.easytreesie.com for €10, spelled E A S Y T R E E S I E.com, or abroad on Plant-for-the-Planet.com for €1. We welcome the business community, sporting and faith groups, students and scouts; whatever you can do to help, we welcome.
Why do you need sponsorship?
This is a VolunTREE project, managed and run by volunteers under the umbrella of the charity Crann – Trees for Ireland (Patron, Michael D. Higgins) who are members of the Tree Council of Ireland. We use our sponsorship to buy trees, tools, planting materials and to cover essential travel also tree-ts for the children like hot chocolate to warm them up, we usually plant in the colder months as that is when it suits the saplings.
Why do we plant trees?
It’s a powerful symbol and a really important practical action. We are part of the trillion-tree project planting with children in 70 countries as a UNESCO project. Find space on your community land!
Easy Treesie 