The Benedictine monks of Glenstal Abbey in Co Limerick have begun planting 2,500 native Irish trees on a small plot of the abbey grounds, as part of a much wider project to plant 100 million trees on 50,000 mini forests across the country.
It is part of the 100 Million Trees (100MT) project, started by siblings Richard and David Mulcahy.
The aim of the project is to plant that volume of trees at various locations across the country over the next ten years.
The project has employed the specialist Miyawaki method of planting between 1,000 and 2,500 native ash, oak, birch, pine and alder trees in mini forest formations which leads to accelerated growth, increased biodiversity and a rapid carbon sink.
Richard Mulcahy said he and his brother were motivated to begin the project because of the implications of climate change, which he added many people were concerned about but not much was being done about it.
The project aims to give communities, councils, farmers, land and homeowners a route to contribute to making a change.
"The environment is in chaos, and while everyone is talking about it, we wanted to make sure we started something significant about it. We came up with the idea that if we planted trees in a very specialised method in small spaces, we could plant 100 million trees in 10,000 acres which is a tiny area, and yet it would be of huge benefit to the environment and to biodiversity," said Mr Mulcahy.
"It is ambitious, but we believe it is achievable. Its all about pulling people together acting on that groundswell of desire among communities to do something, and this gives them that opportunity.
"Ireland is a country of 20 million acres, we need just 10,000 acres to make this happen and it can be done in small plots of land - so we are appealing to people to offer us those plots so that the planting can be done.
"100 million trees would reduce our carbon sequestration by 2.5%. There are 137,000 farmers in the country and even if we got half of them to commit, we would be doing well.
"Householders and landowners can also contribute and we know that people are anxious to act as they are noticing the impact of climate change in the lack of insects and birdsong that are disappearing," he said.
"We are deeply grateful to the Benedictines for donating their land and support to the 100MT project and we hope the seed of this initiative will take hold and germinate in other communities around the country as we continue our efforts to plant more widely nationwide," Mr Mulcahy added.
Abbot Brendan Coffey expressed his support for the project and said they were invited to take part by offering a small area of land for plantation.
He said it also fits in with Pope Francis's message encouraging people to do their bit for the environment.
"At Glenstal Abbey, we believe in the sacred responsibility of stewardship for the earth. The 100MT project aligns perfectly with our values and we are honoured to contribute to this noble cause by providing both our land and the hands to plant these trees.
"This initiative not only enriches our local environment but contributes to the greater ecological and indeed spiritual well-being of our nation."
The 100MT project has planted 20,000 trees in nine counties last year at various locations including Fairyhouse and Limerick racecourses, Festina Lente in Bray and Kiltegan, Co Wicklow.
It has been mainly volunteer led up to now, but with sponsorship from the Uniphar group and professional forestry management services, it is aiming to scale up significantly this year by planting up to 250,000 trees in 2024,and one million in 2025.
