More than 5,000 trees planted

Thurles Municipal District is delighted to announce its participation in the 100 Million Trees project.

The project is a national not-for-profit initiative being run by Richard, David and Tina Mulcahy, which aims to plant 100 million native Irish trees across the island of Ireland over the next decade.

The aim of the project is to increase the native Irish tree population, to add to the biodiversity throughout the country and to help mitigate carbon dioxide output in Ireland.

The site chosen for the project in Thurles is a 2,300 square metres publicly-owned site on the Mill Road.

The initiative saw elected representatives, local schools, local residents, Thurles Tidy Towns and businesses come together on March 21 to plant 5,500 trees on the site using ‘the Miyawaki method’.

Named after Japanese Botanist, Professor Akira Miyawaki, who developed the technique in the 1970s to restore degraded land, the Miyawaki Method of overplanting trees has been used in over 3,000 mini forests worldwide.

Planting excess trees together creates more rapid growth, greatly increased density, enhancing biodiversity significantly and importantly, facilitates a very rapid carbon sink.

The following is a list of the 5,500 trees planted at this site: Wild Cherry, European Bird Cherry, Blackthorn, Dogrose, Guelder Rose, Crab Apple, Common Alder, Downy Birch, Oak, Hawthorn/Whitethorn, Scots Pine, Rowan (mt Ash), Hazel, Spindle.

SCHOOLS INVOLVED

Sharon Scully, District Administrator, Thurles Municipal District, states: “I am delighted to see a publicly-owned site in Thurles being used for the 100 Million Trees initiative. I am particularly pleased to see so many schools and young people involved in the project.

“I would like to thank the schools, residents groups, elected members, Tidy Towns and local volunteers, who gave up their time this morning to be involved in the project.

“I would also like to thank Richard, David and Tina Mulcahy for bringing their initiative to Thurles.

“I hope that other groups and organisations will follow Thurles Municipal District's example and become involved in the 100 Million Trees initiative.”

Tommy Barrett, Secretary, Refresh Thurles Tidy Towns, stated: “Refresh Thurles Tidy Towns were delighted to be involved with the planting of over 5,000 trees recently as part of the 100 Million Trees project.

“This small urban forest is located on the Mill Road. It was a fantastic project for our Tidy Towns group to be involved with and it was great to see so many Transition Year students from our local schools getting involved with the tree planting.

“We look forward to seeing the trees flourish over the coming years.”