Coillte Launches Nationwide Primary School Photography Competition as it Gears up for National Tree Week

‘Planting Trees for a Greener Future’ is the theme of National Tree Week 2024

organised by the Tree Council of Ireland in partnership with Coillte

• Schools’ photography competition aimed at encouraging children to explore nature and understand the importance of trees in protecting our planet ~ click here to enter
• Four winners will be chosen from across the country and each will receive an exciting trip to Beyond the Trees Avondale for their class
• Coillte will mark Tree Week by donating 150,000 tree saplings to local community groups for planting
• Series of local events taking place right across Ireland to celebrate Tree Week – 3^rd – 10^th March

Monday, 5^th February:  With less than a month to go, Coillte is gearing up for National Tree Week, running from 3^rd -10^th March, as it today launches a nature-inspired photography competition open to all primary school children right across the country.

The competition is aimed at encouraging students to engage with nature and understand the importance of trees in safeguarding our planet for tomorrow. To enter, teachers and pupils are being asked to take a picture of their favourite tree or a favourite outdoor nature space and simply upload it to the Coillte website. Four winners will be selected, with each receiving an exciting trip for them and their class to ‘Beyond the Trees Avondale’ at Coillte’s Avondale Forest Park in Rathdrum, Co. Wicklow.

National Tree Week, organised by The Tree Council of Ireland and proudly supported by Coillte, is Ireland’s largest annual tree celebration. This year’s theme, ‘Planting Trees for a Greener Future’, highlights the unique role trees and forests play in helping to address climate change. This year will see Coillte once again donate 150,000 tree saplings to local community groups for planting, to mark the annual celebration.

Speaking at the launch of National Tree Week 2024, Cormac Downey, President of the Tree Council of Ireland said “National Tree Week is all about communities joining together and celebrating all the good things that trees and forests do for us.  This year’s theme, ‘Planting Trees for a Greener Future’ is what National Tree Week is all about and we hope everyone will get involved in a local event this year. If you are thinking of getting involved, we would encourage you to do so with simple activities like hosting walks, discussions, or community planting. These important events we hope will encourage everyone to play their part in planting more trees for a greener future.”

Speaking about Coillte’s role in National Tree Week, ESG Director at Coillte, Sakinah Brennan, said, “National Tree Week is an important celebration as it highlights the significance of trees in helping to tackle climate change, promoting biodiversity and producing sustainably grown Irish wood, which is central to Coillte’s strategic vision. This year we’re particularly excited to launch our primary schools’ competition which we hope will encourage students to explore the nature around them and to understand the importance of trees in safeguarding our future.”

Running from Sunday 3^rd March – Sunday 10^th March, National Tree Week will see a packed schedule of activities, from group forest walks and tree-planting events to workshops and forestry talks. A series of expert-led webinars including the Annual Augustine Henry Forestry Lecture on Urban Forestry in Ireland will also be running across the week with each session providing valuable insights and perspectives from experts on the critical role of trees in promoting a greener, more sustainable future.

Since its inception in 1985, National Tree Week has been responsible for planting almost one million trees in Ireland. Community groups planning events in their local area can register with the Tree Council at www.treecouncil.ie.

Ends

For more information, please contact:

Sabrina D’Angelo, Q4 Public Relations

sabrina@q4pr.ie / 086 032 3397

Further detail on Coillte’s schools’ photography competition

The competition is open to all primary school children, right across Ireland.

To enter the competition, follow the below steps:

• Step 1: Teachers and pupils are encouraged to take a picture of their favourite tree or outdoor nature space – they can also be part of picture if they wish.
• Step 2: They are invited to say why they chose to take a picture of their tree or outdoor nature space
• Step 3: Teachers upload the images along with contact information to the Coillte website [https://www.coillte.ie/national-tree-week/]

A total of four winners will be selected from all entries received. Each winner will be awarded a class trip to Beyond the Trees Avondale at Coillte’s Avondale Forest Park in Rathdrum, Co. Wicklow – a unique opportunity for the children to engage with nature and learn about the importance of trees. ​

For more information visit www.coillte.ie. The closing date for entries is Friday 23^rd February 2024.