nature
Primary Schools asked to plant a tree for Tetra Pak Tree Day
The Tree Council of Ireland, supported by Tetra Pak, is calling on primary school children across Limerick to get involved in Tetra Pak Tree Day on Thursday 4th October 2018. The theme for this year’s campaign is “Be nature nice! or Bí dóighiúil don dúlra!” A group of children celebrate this year’s Tetra Pak Tree Day in Phoenix Park, Dublin.
Primary Schools in Limerick are asked to ‘Be nature nice’ and plant a tree for Tetra Pak Tree Day
The Tree Council of Ireland, supported by Tetra Pak, is calling on primary school children across Limerick to get involved in Tetra Pak Tree Day on Thursday 4th October 2018. The theme for this year’s campaign is “Be nature nice! or Bí dóighiúil don dúlra!”
Tetra Pak Tree Day gives children, teachers and parents the opportunity to put down the school books, get outdoors and connect directly with nature. The campaign also encourages children to become more environmentally aware. The campaign’s mascot Sammy Squirrel will feature on Avonmore school milk cartons with seven simple messages on how to help the environment.
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As part of Tetra Pak Tree Day, up to 1,000 native tree saplings will be made available through the Tree Day website for primary school children to plant on their school grounds. There is also an opportunity for children and teachers to win an iPad for their class. More details about the campaign including guided woodland walks, class lessons, videos, fun tree facts, activities and more can be found on www.treeday.ie .
Each year Tetra Pak Tree Day places a focus on a different native tree. This year the spotlight is on the Guelder-rose, or Caor chon in Irish. The Guelder-rose is a small deciduous tree, sometimes reaching a height of 4 metres, that grows in dampish areas in hedges and small woods. It bears discs of creamy white flowers in early summer, making it excellent for pollinators, and produces bunches of translucent bright red berries in early autumn, which are loved by birds. The Guelder-rose is an important native tree that supports Ireland’s natural habitats and preserves biodiversity.
Joseph McConville, President of the Tree Council of Ireland, commented: “For this year’s Tetra Pak Tree Day, we’ll have up to 1,000 Guelder-rose tree saplings to give away to primary schools. We are encouraging primary school teachers throughout Limerick to get outside with their students and explore the natural environment. Planting a sapling tree on the school grounds helps children to connect with nature and trees. It is also one of the requirements to achieve the Green-School’s Green Flag for Biodiversity.”
Deborah Ryan, Marketing Manager, Tetra Pak Ireland also said: “The aim of Tetra Pak Tree Day is to teach children about the importance of minimising our impact on the environment and how we can all live more sustainably. It’s also about thinking twice about the things we do and use every day and making better choices for the environment. These messages are very close to our heart at Tetra Pak.”
Did you know? Trees “talk” to each other through a fungal network found in and around their roots. The fungi and trees have a symbiotic relationship – the fungi provide the trees with nutrients, and in return receive sugars. Researchers at the University of British Columbia have found that these fungi are also part of a broader network that links trees in close proximity to one another, allowing them to communicate. For example, older trees will share their sugars with younger saplings to ensure these weaker trees have a stronger chance of survival and trees that are dying will ‘dump’ their nutrients into the network to be spread among the other trees.
About Tetra Pak Tree Day: Through the ages, trees have been at the centre of communities, standing as silent witnesses to events, stories and legends that have shaped our development. Ancient trees with rich tales can be found across our country and many are significant landmarks, often being the only remaining evidence of peoples and events past. From the moment they are planted, trees grow in importance, visibility and value as the year’s pass, while improving our quality of life in countless ways. Tetra Pak Tree Day and it’s events are intended to inspire people, young and old, to get out into the fresh air and, together, plant lots of trees.
About the Guelder-rose (Viburnum opulus) tree: Guelder-rose trees belong to a species of flowering plant in the family Adoxaceae native to Europe, northern Africa and central Asia. The Guelder-rose is a deciduous tree that lives and survives in most countries in Europe but is not found as far north as Scotland. The leaves unfold in April each year and it flowers in June and July. The flowers are flat lace cap-like clusters in shape and form, the centre is often light yellow and the outer part of the flower is white. The flowers are especially attractive to hoverflies. The berries start off a yellowish green or translucent and turn red when ripe. The birds love the berries of this tree. It can be eaten if cooked but it is very bitter – so better left for the birds to enjoy. The leaves turn a beautiful red yellow colour in Autumn, just in time for Tetra Pak Tree Day. To find out more about this year’s campaign, watch the Tree Day Video and claim a free Guelder-rose tree sapling for your class.
For more information please contact:Maree Rigney at (01) 661 3515 or [email protected]
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