Councillor Derren Ó Brádaigh has welcomed the news that South Dublin County Council will plant as many as 2,500 new trees as part of a winter tree planting programme. The Council’s Public Realm Section also intends commencing a programme of mini-woodlands or steeping-stones forests around the county, proposing to select three locations from the parks in the Lucan and Palmerstown-Clondalkin-North Clondalkin.
Cllr Ó Brádaigh said “At the November Area Committee meeting we learned that the Council now intend to identify three very welcome locations within the two local electoral areas of Lucan and Palmerstown-Fonthill, to begin planting new mini woodlands. These are small dense areas of native trees, sometimes referred to a stepping stones forests or as Miyawaki forests, using a method developed by Japanese Professor of Botany Akira Miyawaki. This is something that I have supported and advocated for during my time as a local councillor.
“I am delighted that we are upping the ante in recognition for the need to plant far more trees within our communities to help sequester carbon dioxide and improve the quality of the air we breathe every day. The Council currently remove an average of 400 trees per year, so it is essential that we are always planting far more trees than we are removing at any given time.
Ó Brádaigh, a councillor representing the Lucan and Palmerstown-Fonthill areas said “In addition to the three mini forests, the winter tree planting programme will see 2,500 new trees planted over the course of six months throughout the Councils jurisdiction. From this figure, approximately 300 new trees will be planted in Lucan and 180 in Palmerstown-Fonthill. There will be a dozen native species that will include such trees as Oak, Cherry, Beech, Birch, Pine and Rowan. The locations of these new trees are already mapped throughout the County. Once the locations of the stepping stones forest sites are identified, the elected members will be notified to complete the site selection process.
Ó Brádaigh added “This is an important investment toward Climate ‘Care’ and is a key objective of the Green Infrastructure Strategy and County Development Plan. The average cost of each new tree can vary depending on the level of maturity, but average approximately €150 per tree. This constitutes a €375,000 spend and just part of a vitally important investment, as we tackle the ever-pressing challenges of reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, providing important wildlife habitat, and addressing the biodiversity crisis with the continued introduction of wetlands too.”
