Celebrating National Tree Week

NATIONAL Tree Week usually runs this year from arouund March 21 to March 27. The public events have been postponed due to the current COVID-19 health emergency - https://www.treecouncil.ie/nationaltreeweek2020.

If you are staying at home, it is more important than ever to spend time in nature and around trees and hedges. It is hugely beneficial to our mind, body and spirit to meet and spend time with trees. Walk around your own garden and meet the trees that live with you.

Trees are a vital part of our landscape and communities. They carry out so many jobs that we take for granted. We breathe fresher air because of them. Their roots soak up water, so they help protect us against flooding. They shelter us from the prevailing winds and rain. They help to create and clean the soil so we can grow our food. Their leaves make the most incredible leaf compost for the gardener and can be mixed with soil to sow seeds, instead of using peat compost.

They are one of our biggest defenses in terms of the Biodiversity and Climate Emergency.

Some people use the language of Ecosystems Services and Green Infrastructure in terms of putting a value on the trees and hedges. Other people feel connected to them in terms of our living history, culture and spirituality. We name place and people after them. Derrymore on the Dingle Peninsula means the place of the big oaks. If your name is Dara or Darach, you are called after the oak.

They are habitats and homes to so many plants and animals and are the ultimate insect hotel. Dead wood supports even more biodiversity than living wood! That is why it is so important to let dead wood rot down. Some larvae of beetles and other creatures may live in this wood for 2-3 years before they emerge. If you see the little galls that are called oak apples on the oak tree, this is the home of a little solitary wasp that manages to eat its way out of it in the spring.

The intricate links are incredible and this is the very web of life that we depend on, for our health and the health of the earth. In Ireland, we have more trees growing as hedges than in our forests. Hedges are like linear woodlands and are incredibly important in terms of biodiversity. We will look at hedges more closely in another article.

Every town and village has special trees. If you live in Tralee, there is the incredible old Turkey Oak as you walk into the Town Park from Denny Street. There is also the fabulous Magnolia Tree, said to be over 100 years, growing at the top of Princes Street. It is more important than ever that we protect our trees.

You can apply to the local council to have a Tree Preservation Order put on a tree or a group of trees. We will cover this in a future article.

The best thing about trees is that we do not have to stand 6 feet away from them and you can give them a hug! Even better - get planting. We have until the end of this month to plant bare-rooted trees.

Some that are suitable to small gardens and make great hedges too: Spindle, Guelder Rose, Elder, Bird and Wild Cherry, Crab Apple, Holly, Hazel. If you have wet land the best trees to start with are Willow, Birch & Alder.

If you’re interested, other organisations you can check out are Crann.ie and LeafIreland.org.