Dull rainy days dogged our lives for the last three months, but dry spells offer the chance to venture out and do something useful. Our native woodland cover is pitifully low, generally restricted to steep slopes in remote areas of the west of Ireland. When native trees are planted, these are most often from foreign sources. This is indicated by the EU plant passport tag attached to the trees.
Importing native tree species from abroad can produce very harmful results, such as introducing non-native insects that impact our ecosystems. One organisation that has a mission to plant native wood using native trees grown from wild Irish seed is Hometree. Their organic tree nursery, based in Ennistymon, County Clare, grows affordable native trees for woodland and hedgerow planting. Their tree output consists of
Alder – Alnus glutinosa
Downy Birch – Betula pubescens
Goat Willow – Salix caprea
Grey Willow – Salix cinerea
Hawthorn – Crataegus monogyna
Hazel – Corylus avellana
Pedunculate Oak – Quercus robur
Rowan – Sorbus aucuparia
Scots Pine – Pinus sylvestris (taken from an ancient source in the Burren)
Sessile Oak – Quercus petraea.
They offer hedgerow species:
Hedgerow Bundle (mix of 5 species)
Grey Willow, Goat Willow, Crab Apple, Wild Cherry, Elder, Hawthorn, Hazel, Sessile Oak, Downy Birch, Pedunculate Oak.
Tree bundles (25 trees from €90.80 plus postage) are selected tree mixes suited to different planting contexts. Trees are between 80 cm and 150 cm and are bare-root. Trees are available as single-species and mixed-species bundles. For example, they provide a wet Woodland Bundle that consists of Alder, Downey Birch, Goat Willow, Hazel, and Pedunculate Oak.
A landscape-scale project, the Iveragh Peninsula European Innovation Partnership, aims to protect, restore and increase native woodland in upland areas in the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry. This area is within the temperate rainforest zone and is ideally located to host the rare Annex I Sessile Oak habitat.
Most nurseries do not use Irish seed from old woodland to grow native trees. Hometrees does: https://www.hometree.ie/about
A local project Butterfly Conservation Ireland has been involved in is the planting of native woodland in the grounds of the new Presbyterian Church in Maynooth, County Kildare. The church opened its new building in 2024, the first Presbyterian Church built in the Republic of Ireland since 1915 (Arklow, County Wicklow). Set on just over three acres, the site is bordered by native hedges on two sides and on one side by the historic Carton Avenue, a Lime walk. The church is anxious to give back to nature, conscious that some of the land was used for the building.
We sowed a wildflower meadow at the front of the site along with fruit trees. The idea is to have a French-style orchard that doubles as a wildflower meadow. Orchards are very good for nature, especially if the trees are not artificially fertilised and no herbicides and pesticides are applied. This will be fully organic.
At the rear of the site, bordered by Carton Avenue, over 100 native trees were planted. All are of local origin except the Pedunculate Oak, which came from Hometrees. Alder and Purging Buckthorn, Grey Willow, Downy Birch, Hazel, and Scots Pine (excellent for ladybirds) are now in place. This will host woodland species in the years ahead, adding biodiversity and character to the grounds.
Planting locally, in your garden, in public land, in places such as church and school grounds, not only adds to nature’s resources, but watching these woods develop on your doorstep creates a pride in your area, helps to build a community and helps you to contribute to nature restoration in a meaningful way.