Ireland’s woodlands to become ‘living classrooms’

A pilot project turning a tree-lined university campus into a ‘living classroom’ has received funding to roll the initiative out nationwide.

The Tree Explorers project at University College Cork (UCC) involved the development of tree tours around UCC’s campus – a recognised arboretum in its own right – along with workshops, public talks, educational materials, a self-guided map and a series of videos.

Led by Dr Eoin Lettice, Dr Barbara Doyle Prestwich and Prof Claire Connolly of UCC, the Irish Tree Explorers Network (ITEN) has now received funding from Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) to take what has been learned from the project’s success in Cork and bring it to a national audience.

Through developing partnerships with Coillte, the Office of Public Works (OPW) and the Tree Council of Ireland, ITEN will engage even more people with the importance of trees, nature, and the environment through important tree collections.

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