On the 29th and 30th of November the ecosystem restoration camp Síolta Chroí invites all to an introductory event of More Trees Now: an initiative to plant more indigenous trees through circular forestry.
Trees produce hundreds of saplings every year, with the majority not reaching maturity. A large part of that is due to routine forest management practices. Normally, these saplings would be disposed of, but now we will collect these saplings and plant in another area. Amid tree shortages and a dire need to restore the native biodiversity in Ireland, circular forestry can provide a solution that any member of the community can be a part of.
The aim of the project is to accelerate tree planting initiatives throughout Ireland to stop climate change and support biodiversity restoration. Trees and bushes are necessary to preserve biodiversity in both the countryside and in cities, mitigate and absorb water flow, provide shade in hot times both in and outside of the city, as well as sequester carbon.
Sciolta Chroi
Síolta Chroí is an Ecosystem Restoration Community, regenerative farm and educational centre. 4 years ago the grass was monotonous, “a green desert”, and the soil was degraded. Since then we have been working to restore the biodiversity in the area, produce healthy and nutritious food using regenerative farming methods and involve the community in this new way of working. They have planted trees for agroforestry systems, work with permaculture. The aim is to “work with nature, rather than against it”.
This fits well with the transplantation method: “Regeneration is about nature, but it is also about people. On how to bring people together to forge creative and restorative movements. Humans can be constructive and regenerative rather than destructive. The more trees now method fits with our work really well, because the community comes together to save precious trees that are in the wrong place or would otherwise not survive and we use them create forest areas elsewhere” – says Conan, Síolta Chroí
More Trees Now
Every mature tree creates hundreds of saplings a year. The majority of these saplings will not reach adulthood. They either disappear naturally due to competition, but quite often they are removed in routine forest or roadside management. They grow in bogs, on hiking paths, or they are thinned due to the monotony of tree species in the area. This is a source of diverse, ecological, free and indigenous trees. By transplanting these saplings one can restore ecosystems and create forests and green areas elsewhere. More Trees Now is an initiative based on Meer Bomen Nu, a Dutch initiative which has inspired a mass volunteering movement that has transplanted over 1.4 million saplings in three winters in the most densely populated country in Europe. They have created an online tool which allows for a decentralised organisation where anyone can organise events and register and track saplings from their old to their new destination. The aim is to make tree planting accessible and free for all who are concerned about biodiversity loss and deforestation.
